Shades of Grey
by Dalamar Nightson
Summary: Things are not all that they seem to be in preCataclysm Istar, as a sheltered cleric is beginning to find out. Chapter 10 Up!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer**: Nothing from DL is mine, though the plot was completely my idea.  
  
**A/N:** Yes, this is the promised spin off on Chapter 6 of Daughter of Prophesy. For those of you who don't like tragedy, it shouldn't get too bad until the very end. Please review honestly – constructive criticism is as helpful as pure praise is gratifying. However, if you choose to flame, keep it civil, and remember, I respond to all reviewers at the end of every new chapter. Now, without further ado, my story:

**Prologue**

The young man stepped into the carriage, and sat down beside the richly garbed young woman. "Good day, Eve." He tried, not very successfully, to mask his commoner's drawl.

"Good day, Edward." The young woman, Eve, had no need to disguise her voice. She was a pure noble. The young man sighed. How was he going to ever be able to marry her? He must have been dreaming to ever think to hope. Young 17th century writers didn't just up and marry noble women!

What madness had afflicted his brain to make him agree to go meet her parents? Well, too late now. This was the point of no return, and all he could do was hope. Now, his love turned to him. "Now Edward, don't try to change your speech pattern to sound noble – you just sound like a fool. Don't worry. My parents have always said I should marry for love."

Edward made a noise of disbelief, but Eve shushed him. "I told you, it isn't my parents you need to worry about, it's Grandmama." Edward raised an eyebrow in question. "Well, maybe I never had mentioned her before. She's not really my grandmother – she's older than anyone can realize. Generations of my family have looked to her for guidance. Whatever she says is the law. Don't worry, though." Eve reached over to squeeze Edward's hand. "She'll love you. How could she not?"

Edward, surprised at this uncommon display of affection from his sweetheart decided it was wiser not to argue with her. Instead, he sat back and enjoyed what he expected would be the last ride in a carriage this nice for the rest of his life. Finally, they got to Eve's mansion. Edward estimated that the entrance hall alone would be big enough to fit his whole house inside.

Upon entering the house, Edward was not disappointed. The house had two enormous levels, and the walls were painted with intricate designs and gilt work. Hanging on the main wall inside was the family crest – two trees intertwined, one strait and silvery, the other twisted and dark. The background swirled with black and white.

Edward stopped looking around in awe when a fairly young-looking woman appeared in the door. Judging by her resemblance to Eve, Edward guessed this must be her mother, though she looked more the age of a sister. She had Eve's long, golden blond hair, and brilliant blue-green almond eyes. At seeing her, Edward bowed deeply. Always proper, Eve's mother Fia nodded slightly, as befitted a noblewoman addressing a commoner.

At that, Eve looked furious. "Mother, this is the man I told you about. Edward?" At this outburst, Fia barely blinked, though such talk was considered quite rude at that time. The women of the Dante line were famous for their strong, outspoken manor.

"Of course, Dear. Grandmama is in her room. Come, both of you. She is expecting you." The proud noble beckoned, and the young couple followed her up a winding set of stairs. At the top, they went down a long corridor, to an enormous room on the end. There was a big canopy bed in the corner, and several chairs around a table. Everything was decorated in somber shades, as though for someone in mourning.

In the room, the eye was not drawn to the bed, or the décor, but to a throne-like chair at the end of the room opposite the bed. Seated in this chair was a woman. Though she was quite slender, there was an aura of power, majesty, and magic that surrounded her. She had the same dull green eyes as Eve and Fia, and her golden hair had not yet seen the taint of old age. Her hair was elaborately pulled up so it framed her face in ringlets, hiding her ears. Her face was as smooth as a bride's, and Edward had trouble believing that this was the dreaded family matriarch.

When the lady spoke, however, all doubt was erased. "Welcome, Children." The woman's voice was sonorous and bold. If properly trained, the woman likely had a gorgeous soprano singing voice. Her two word statement held ages of knowledge and pain, of joy and suffering.

"You must be Edward." The woman turned to the young man, and he quailed under her powerful gaze. Even in her plain light green dress, it was evident that this woman was of high breeding. All Edward could do was nod and bow to the formidable matriarch.

"No need for that, young man. I'm not much for formalities. Now, I suppose you're here because you feel you need my blessings." She now turned toward Eve. "If that's true, I haven't gotten through to you. I've always told you that a girl may marry whomever she damn wants!" At this tirade, Edward looked shocked, and even Eve's normally emotionless demeanor showed some surprise.

"However, before you marry, there are some things that you both have the right to know about the family. Eve, you're a serious girl, so I trust that if you've brought Edward here, you're both sure that this is what you want. So much like... Well, we'll get to that later. This is a story every Dante must here before he or she gets wed, so that when I finally do pass on, our history will not be lost."

At Edward and Eve's twin expressions of shock and disbelief, the woman motioned the two closer. "Sit. Both of you, and listen." They both sat on the carpeted floor, as though they were still the children the matriarch had called them.

"Now," the woman's expression was sad, as though she relived memories that had a bittersweet flavor. "This tale begins long ago – nearly one hundred years ago. However, it does not take place on this Earth. It takes place in a world of magic; a world none here know of, a world most would scoff at as fallacy. However, this world was, and still is quite real – as real as this one. It is a world called Krynn, where beings capable of thought are as numerous and varied as the trees. It is in this world that the tale of a young elf begins..."


	2. She Walks in Beauty Like the Night

**Disclaimer**: I don't own DL, Silvanesti, any of the castes, and most of the last names mentioned. I also don't own the title for this chapter (or that of the next eight) as they belong to Lord Byron's poem, She Walks in Beauty.

**A/N**: I mentioned that I own almost none of the last names. Bonus points to the reviewer who can identify the most of them, as well as the first name that I warped. Hint: All are from one of the DL books, and only the one first name was changed in any manner. Actually, I lie. Two first names were used. Also, I know that proper protocol for continuing someone's speech into more than one paragraph is to put quotations at the beginning of each paragraph, but as the whole story is being narrated by the matriarch of the Dante line, it would just get confusing if I put in eight chapters of quotation marks where they technically should be. I hope you'll forgive this breech in proper English.

**She Walks In Beauty Like the Night**

"I had said that the tale began nearly one hundred years ago – that is not quite true. It really starts closer to one hundred fifty, mayhaps two hundred, I care no longer for time. This is when the aforementioned elf was born. She was born to House Cleric in Silvanesti. The Silvanesti, you see, children, have a very rigid caste system that is maintained meticulously. Some of the Houses aren't even allowed to intermarry.

This elf, however, was the product of just such a marriage. As House Mystic and House Cleric were of approximately equal rank, relationships, though not quite encouraged, were permissible.

So it was, in the middle of the night, when both the dark Nuitari, invisible to all Light Elves, and bright Solinari, patron of their good magic, were full, that a girl was born to Lady Ansalath Savath of House Mystic, and Lord Arlean Windglimmer of House Cleric. They called their daughter Evelynn, meaning life. And she was their life, loved – as much as any child ever was.

For, you see, Elves frequently have trouble conceiving, and for that, love their children so much more.

As Evelynn grew, she was much loved by both of the Houses of her parents. As of yet, she didn't show any signs of magic, but it was still early. After only thirty years, Evelynn was already a proper young lady. Not very attractive, for an elf at her young age though. For an elf, she was a bit overweight and her face lacked the beautiful bone structure of her people. Her eyes, though they were usually sparkling with intelligence and laughter, were naturally the dull green of light seaweed. Naturally, when compared to a human, she'd be considered quite attractive, but among her people was not a great beauty. Her parents were confident, however, that it was just a phase she'd soon grow out of.

You see, my children, Elves age much more slowly than humans, and have much longer lives. Both a blessing and a curse. At her thirty years, Evelynn was still considered a child, but what a child she was! She was everything an elf her age was supposed to be. Modest, dutiful, faithful to the gods of good, well mannered, and obedient to her elders. It was then, in her thirtieth year, that she changed.

This was the year when her parents gained more favor with the Speaker of the Stars, and became greater nobles, in the Speaker's inner circle. With this Royal favor came a gift to ensure continued loyalty and love. The gift, if the exchange of sentient beings could be called that, was three servants. There was a strong young man (Eflinthsa Wingborne) to help Lord Arlean in the Temples, a subtle young woman with a slight talent for magic (Darlana Sunbeam) to crush spell components and the like for Ansalath, and best of all (for Evelynn) a young adult of about 50 to be a nurse, playmate, and slave of the younger girl.

The whole of Evelynn's household was called together for when the new servants arrived. They were introduced one at a time, both Eflinthsa and Darlana bowing and scraping as was proper. When the young woman who would be assigned to Evelynn was introduced, she had to be nearly pushed over to bow, and if Evelynn had been old enough to understand, she'd have seen the hate and resentment burning in the servant's eyes. However, she did not, and was as bouncy as a human of eight when introduced to her new servant.

"Hi! What's your name? My name is Evelynn Windglimmer, but you already knew that I bet. How come you don't have a pretty dress? My parents like giving me pretty dresses. Maybe you can borrow some of mine sometime. You're awfully thin, you should fit. Why are you so thin? Am I talking too much?"

The rebellious servant had to smile despite herself. Laugh lines showed faintly around her eyes and she shook her head. "A bit more than I expected from a _proper lady_." Though her tone was teasing, an older ear would have caught the biting cynicism that shot from the words 'proper lady.' "As to your other questions: My name is Ramalad Argent of House Servitor. The reason for my gaunt appearance and lack of 'pretty dresses' is the same – I'm a servant. Now, why don't you just go sew or whatever little nobles do during the day? I guess I'll start by cleaning your room."

Ramalad sounded cranky about the room, at least, for a good reason. You see, the girl had never had her own servants, so her room was constantly cluttered. Currently, it seemed as though she and a few dolls had been having a tea party with real food. Consequently, both the food and the animals were strewn around the room. With a sigh, Ramalad went about tidying the room. Though she'd normally have made the younger girl clean the room herself, it wouldn't do to act out on her first day in her new home.

Another twenty years went by, so Evelynn was fifty and Ramalad seventy. To a human, they'd look to be in their teens. Subtly, so her parents barely realized it, Evelynn had become more and more outspoken and opinionated since Ramalad entered her service. Or, maybe they just didn't want to notice.

Now, Evelynn still hadn't outgrown her homeliness. However, her parents were quite proud of her. With the knowledge that she possessed no talent for magic, Evelynn thrust herself whole-heartedly into the worship of the Gods of Good, following in her father's footsteps.

Often, Evelynn would be seen with her father, stylizing scrolls of prayers, or rehearsing with the Temple choir. She was a firm believer in the theory that the elves were the best beloved of the gods, for why else would they be granted immensely long lives, natural beauty, and a love of all things good and living? Her servant, however, had no such optimism.

Frequently, Evelynn and Ramalad would debate Elven society, worship, and anything and everything else under the sun, or not. One particular day, they were on their way to the market to buy some new material for Evelynn's dresses, as she'd grown a lot in the last few years, and become of a more womanly shape, though still a bit on the pudgy side. Her childlike dresses were no longer suitable.

As she and Ramalad walked to the market, admiring the gardens, Evelynn thought about how much Ramalad had changed since she'd first come into the Windglimmers' service. The once furious, rebellious servant was now an outwardly obedient, but outspoken young woman. Her less gaunt body filled out some of Lady Ansalath's old dresses quite nicely. Suddenly, Ramalad's sarcastic voice broke through Evelynn's thoughts.

"Look at these! Do these elf-lords do nothing but tend their gardens all day? There are _problems_ out there in the world that these fools' steel can be put to use solving! Who do they think they are?" In her vehemence, Ramalad was nearly shouting.

Evelynn put a comforting hand on her friend's arm. "Quietly. They'd flay you if they heard." Her tone was warning, but her eyes betrayed her amusement. "I agree in part – there are better things to be done with steel. However, is not making the world beautiful important as well? At least most tend to their gardens themselves!" Evelynn grinned.

"Oh, don't get me started on that!" The servant class of Silvanesti was a long-standing debate of theirs. "I've asked you before, and you couldn't answer me then, nor could you answer me now I'd wager: what, other than being born to the right family makes you better than me? Why do I have to carry out your every whim while you do whatever pleases you?"

Evelynn smiled mischievously. "As to what makes me better than you, hmm, let me think. Maybe I have control over my temper?"

Ramalad grinned back. "Only while in front of your parents, or other officials. Still," A thoughtful expression came onto her face. "That is still more than I could do." She frowned, as though in deep though. Her mouth twitched in an effort not to laugh. "I've been good lately, though. You must admit."

Evelynn's beautiful face crinkled in merriment. "Perfectly behaved. Like two nights ago, when my parents were hosting the head of House Mystic and his wife. If I remember correctly, it was you who put a frog in the poor lady's salad after she made a comment about the silverware not being fit for even servants to eat from. And before that, soup ended up in the lap of that nice young man from House Cleric who was talking to my father about marrying me in a few decades. Truly, your conduct was superb." She rolled her eyes.

Ramalad shook her dark head of hair. "I thought the frog was a nice touch to the salad. It sure was prettier than the recipient of the salad. Besides, wasn't it worth it to hear that stuck-up old bat scream?" Evelynn was forced to agree, though she'd never admit it to her friend. "And the soup? An honest mistake." At Evelynn's expression of mistrust, Ramalad rephrased. "All right, so it was on purpose, but he was truly horrid! Talking about you as though you weren't sitting right there, or worse, as though you were a piece of property! He deserved that." Then, Ramalad quieted, as they reached the shop where fabric was sold.

An hour or two later, the young women left the shop, Ramalad carrying several bolts of fabric – a light green one that accented Evelynn's eyes in a way that made them look a bit less dull colored, and a white one with gold flecks that Evelynn was to wear on special occasions when she sang with the Choir of Paladine. Normally, Ramalad would make Evelynn carry at least half of her load, but when in public, such a rebellious display would not do.

Ramalad looked at Evelynn slyly. "Resuming our earlier discussion: Who are you to criticize for unladylike behavior? You were the one who rigged a bucket of water to tip over when the head of House Cleric's daughter came out of her room!"

Evelynn batted her eyes in an 'innocent' expression. "That wasn't my fault! Darlana refused to help me magic it to sit there! Besides which, I hadn't meant it to tip on to Galatia. She's nice enough. It's her daughter Andreana who is the horror! How was I supposed to know that her mother would leave the room before Andreana? I was sure she would be up at the crack of dawn to ogle that young man from House Royal who enjoys going on early-morning rides! It was pretty funny seeing Galatia so wet, though. I swear, there was steam coming off of her because she was so mad!"

The young elves bickered in such a way until they got back to the house, at which point Evelynn had to stand around being measured for her new dresses for the rest of the day. Little did she know that her carefree way of life would be destroyed in but a few short decades.

**A/N**: Thanks for reviewing, everyone! Please remember to do so again. It wasn't terribly hard before, was it?

Jade: Thanks, and sorry it took so long, and is so short. Hopefully, the next chapter will be more interesting. This was really just a filler/intro before the true plot.

Evergreener: Glad you gave this a try. I usually don't read or write either romances or tragedies, but was inspired after I used an abbreviated version of Evelynn's story in one of my other fics. I agree, Shakespeare is great, and I hope you're not disappointed by this. (The whole cast will not die )

ChildlikeEmpress: Sorry, but ... I just can't disclose it yet. You should be able to guess by the next chapter, though. By the way, don't jump to conclusions, with the exception of one, possibly two tiny details (or lack there of) that give a clue, who the mage is has very little to do with this chapter's setting.

Kenderling: You should understand more after the next chapter, if this didn't clear things up.

Evenstar02: Glad you're enjoying.


	3. Of Cloudless Climes and Starry Skies

**Disclaimer:** Yup, they're mine. All mine. Kidding. Anything you recognize isn't.

**Of Cloudless Climes And Starry Skies**

When Evelynn was seventy, the head of House Mystic, Lady Galatia came to stay once more. Much to Evelynn's chagrin, her air headed daughter Andreana was there too. One night, Evelynn's mother told her to wear her best to dinner.

"Dear, please try to be polite tonight." Lady Ansalath was already wincing at the thought of her daughter's frequent pranks and outspoken manor. The former had lessened with age, but the latter was just as strong as it had been. "And tell your servant to behave herself as well. This may be important.

At that, Evelynn was forced to wince as well. 'Accidents' were the only way that Ramalad had to take revenge on the overbearing nobles, and so they happened relatively frequently. "I'll try, Mother." She bowed slightly to her mother, and hurried to her room as quickly as was seemly for an elf of her age and status.

She opened her door to a room much changed since Ramalad had first been there. Now, the room was immaculately neat. This, however, was not because of Ramalad, at least not directly. After the first week or so, Ramalad had made a harsh set of laws for the young Evelynn, which she enforced ruthlessly. Evelynn was to clean her own room, mend her own clothes, and dress herself as far as she was able. In return, she would have a good friend, and a big sister who was more a mother than Evelynn's own doting, yet distant Lady Mother.

Now, Ramalad was avidly reading one of the adventure stories that she'd smuggled out of Lord Arlean's study for both of them. This was another unusual thing, as servants weren't taught to read or write for the most part. However, when Ramalad expressed an interest, Evelynn set about to teaching her. She saw no reason not to, though her elders claimed it 'dangerous'.

Ramalad didn't get up when Evelynn entered, as befitted a servant. All the recognition she gave was a muttered "'llo."

Evelynn smiled at her friend's unquenchable spirit. She didn't mind, but couldn't resist the opportunity to tease the older girl. "Come now, what if my mother were here with me? Is that any way to greet your mistress?" Her eyes twinkled mischievously.

Ramalad looked up only enough to glare at the noble. "If you're talking like that, no. The proper way would be a smack on the behind. Which is what'll happen if you interrupt me again." Evelynn had read the book already, and could sympathize. The girls were lucky that their father kept books like that, because otherwise, two women, one a servant no less, wouldn't have access to such things.

"Sorry, I have to. Orders from my Lady Mother. She says no tricks at dinner tonight, it may be important. Do you think that Galatia is going to give me a real position now?"

"I don't know. I guess that means I should start helping you get ready then?"

"Sorry. And please, please try to ignore the other nobles! Do you think Darlana would be able to give you a spell that would make you hear only the good things said to you?" Evelynn started to take off her dress, a feat more difficult than it might sound.

Ramalad's voice was frustrated. "I doubt such a spell exists, and if it did, it'd take a lot more magic than Darlana possesses to block out that much crap." Evelynn didn't even start at her servant's cursing; by now she was used to the older girl's more callus way of speaking. "I will try harder not to pay attention, though. Which color?"

Ramalad's sudden subject change caught Evelynn off guard. "Which color? Oh, the pale pink would be best, I think." Ramalad nodded her approval. For dinner, Evelynn had chosen a gown of palest pink that brought out a slight blush in her cheeks. Not only was it a lovely dress, but it also accented her figure and hid its imperfections without being immodest. Such a dress would show off the wealth of the family without making Evelynn seem too forward.

Evelynn took in a deep singers breath and let it all out so that Ramalad would be able to retighten her corset. She gasped involuntarily as it pulled against her ribs. "Idiot nobles," Ramalad muttered under her breath. "Never occurred to them that the reason so many noble women faint is because they have to wear these absurd deathtraps that prevent them from breathing!" With a final yank, she tied the ribbons holding it together.

Evelynn raised her arms to accept the considerable weight of the gown. "Oh, they're not that bad. Anyway, its just passing fashion." She tried to calm her argumentative servant before someone overheard.

"Yes!" Ramalad cried, heaving the dress over her mistress's head. "Exactly. A passing fashion made by whom? The noble lords. That is to say NOT by the women who have to wear the horrible things. Why should women have to look to men to get even their clothes laid out for them? Its times like this, and like this only, when I'm glad to have been born in House Servitor. At least they don't care what you're wearing, as long as it's simple."

Evelynn shook her head. "I give up. I agree I don't like them, but there's not much I can do about it, especially the night I need to impress the Head of House Cleric." Her sharp tone subtly reminded Ramalad of the task at hand.

"Well, sit down then." It was no use talking to, much less arguing with the servant when she was like this. Evelynn sat down without protest, handing Ramalad her hairbrush. She'd normally do it herself, preferring to have the light blonde locks lay free, but on a night like this, she'd need all of the help she could get to sculpt her hair into one of the elaborate creations that managed to become fashionable.

Several hours later, Evelynn walked into the dining hall, flanked at a proper distance by Ramalad, who held the chair for her. Much to Evelynn's surprise and dismay, it was only her parents, Lady Galacia, and her daughter Andreana at the table, which meant that she'd be forced into too much small talk for comfort, and snatched away any possibility of sneaking out early. With a sigh that blended into that that her dress made, Evelynn sat gracefully.

"Honored Parents, My Lady Galacia, Andreana." Evelynn said in way of greeting. Not giving Andreana a title was a small barb – not large enough to be considered improper, but enough to remind the other elf that the insults past were not forgiven.

Andreana took it in stride, saying "My _dear_ Evelynn, how wonderful to see you again." Her voice was honey-sweet. "And I see you still have that ugly servant of yours. Pity." She smirked. Ramalad quickly walked towards the kitchens under pretence of helping to serve. Her eyes, hidden by the dark hair that swirled around her, burned with hate. Her hands, similarly hidden within her sleeves, were clenched in fists.

Evelynn bit back a scathing reply, knowing that the other girl was deliberately provoking her. She would not take the bait, however. This might be too important a meeting. She satisfied herself with a simple "Well, beauty isn't everything," and smiled graciously.

Andreana smiled back, pleased that the other girl walked into her trap. "As you'd well know. You know, _powerful_ mages could likely fix that for you." She decided to bring Eveylnn's mother into the discussion with the comment about power indicating that Ansalath didn't have that much power.

Galacia cut in, breaking up the girls' verbal sparring before it escalated even more. "Well, Evelynn, I see you've gained maturity since the last time I was here. I don't think I was dry for a week."

Evelynn blushed. "That was when I was a mere child, My Lady. I was foolish then, but hopefully now you will find me otherwise. I'd been hoping that what was in the past was forgotten." Now, she knew she was being tested.

The Lady of House Cleric smiled graciously. "Of course dear. Naturally. I'm sure you've grown considerably since then." Then, Galacia turned the conversation to all types of mundane things, and Evelynn resigned herself to talking about gardens for the rest of the evening.

Finally, around dessert time, Galacia decided that it was time to come to the point. Dinner had gone well, and even Ramalad had behaved herself. Which meant that while replacing used silverware, she made faces over Andreana's head, but so only Evelynn would see. So, as the creations in spun sugar were being placed around the table, Galacia finally revealed the reason for her presence.

"So, Evelynn, have you thought about where you're going to take your future?" Her voice was kind, but stern.

"Well, Ma'am," Evelynn's voice was hesitant, sensing that the true reason for the visit had finally surfaced. "Not really, but I've always assumed I'd become a cleric like my father because I seem to possess no magic." Her answer was completely truthful.

"Have you thought about where you're singing voice could take you?"

Evelynn's patience was starting to wane as she sensed the older woman was beating around the bush on purpose. However, she kept her reply polite. "No, My Lady, I have not."

"You've heard of the Kingpriest?" At Evelynn's exasperated nod of ascent, she continued. "He has his own choir, composed of the best voices among the Clerics of Silvanesti. I have been asked to request that you come to Istar next month to be initiated as a cleric and immediately afterward join the choir. Of course, this next month and you're first month there you'll be scrutinized closely, because rumor of your pranks has gone far. Afterwards however, you'll be a full cleric, with all of the powers. That is if you accept."

The last sentence Galacia spoke was merely formality, and Evelynn knew it. However, so excited by this prospect was she that refusing never entered her mind. "Of course I accept, My Lady. This is such and honor. I can't believe you asked, I mean it's just so ..." Her excited ramblings trailed off after a glare from both her mother and new tutor. Andreana smirked.

Finally, dinner was over and Evelynn fled to her room. When she got there, she was shaking from the combination of the very trying and aggravating small talk, and the excitement of Lady Galacia's proposal.

When she got there, Ramalad was already ensconced in a chair, reading again. It had taken less time for her to clean up from dinner than it had for Evelynn to bid good evening to their guests. She looked up as Evelynn came in, and stood to help the younger elf with her dress.

"So, what happened?" To keep a semblance of propriety, Ramalad had been able to hear very little of the conversation while she was shuttling dishes and silverware back and forth. She heaved the heavy gown over Evelynn's head.

"I was right. She did have something important to say. Assuming I pass a trial period, I'm to be initiated as a cleric! And I'm going to go to Istar, and sing in the Kingpriest's choir. Isn't it wonderful?"

She gave a happy sigh as Ramalad freed her from the corset. "Yes, that's fabulous! Now that you're going to be a full cleric, and of the Kingpriest's choir, no less, you'll have the ear of elven lords everywhere! Perhaps you could get them to rethink the cast system into something fairer!" Ramalad's eyes gleamed from excitement.

Evelynn smiled a bit as she pulled on her nightgown. "I don't think anyone will listen to me for a good long time, but I'll keep that in mind." Evelynn fell asleep quickly after her night of ordeal, and dreamed dreams of the grandeur and splendor of Istar.

**Author's Note:** Okay, I've only gotten one correct answer in my contest. Strike that. One answer period, and it happens to be correct. I know you can do better than that! So, the contest for chapter two names is still on. I'll give you two hints – 1. Ramalad is the only name actually encoded. The others just need to be identified. 2. All of the names are found in Dalamar the Dark by Nancy Varian Berberick. Good luck!

Jade: Thanks for reviewing. Wow, I haven't updated in a long time if the last time I did was when you asked if I could read some of your stories!

Guan: Thanks. The plot is coming, I promise.

Kenderling: Well, so far you're winning. Kudos for figuring it out. Hmm, about Ramalad. With what I've planned for her, that might be difficult. If that doesn't work, I promise to give her a story in her own right eventually, and a mention in Daughter of Prophesy.


	4. And All That's Best of Dark and Bright

**And All That's Best of Dark and Bright**

The next morning, Evelynn's trial period began. Before setting foot outside her room, she reminded Ramalad that they both had to be on their best behavior for the next month. She spoke in a whisper, not sure what magics Lady Galacia might have access to. Ramalad assured her calmly that she would be on her best behavior.

Though Evelynn usually went to breakfast in her nightdress, today she put on one of her finest gowns to wear for the day. With such an important guest, she couldn't afford to be seen without finery on. Escorted by Ramalad, who usually walked with her as a sister would, Evelynn entered the dining hall to find no one there. Dropping back a bit, she walked with Ramalad.

Grumbling about uncomfortable corsets, Evelynn went with Ramalad into the kitchen to see what they could scrounge up. Returning to the table with a light breakfast of bread and fruit, she found to her chagrin that Andreana had beaten her to the table.

Andreana smiled in a sickly-sweet way. "Oh, Evelynn. Fancy seeing you here. How did you know I was coming? I see your servant brought me some as well. Why were you carrying yours?" She said it in an innocent enough way, but Evelynn could tell her questions were actually filled with malice and the hope that she'd catch Evelynn in some forbidden act.

She snapped her fingers as Evelynn took a seat as far away from her as possible. When nothing happened, Andreana quickly looked up at Ramalad, shooting her a death glare. She snapped again, and pointed to her empty place.

Ramalad took a deep breath to keep from throwing the lovely apple on top at the snobby cleric's nose. Too good an apple to be wasted like that, she mused. Keeping her face carefully neutral, she brought her plate of food to the other elf. She rudely dropped it on the table, causing the bread and fruit to jump. A couple of strawberries even rolled onto the floor, splattering into goo.

Andreana pretended not to notice and called after the retreating servant "I'll take some passion fruit juice too." Ramalad waved in recognition as she walked towards to the kitchen once more. Evelynn could practically hear the wheels turning in her friend's head, and could only hope that she would be discreet.

A second later, before Evelynn had time to answer her nemesis, one of the kitchen workers rushed out with a wet cloth. Smiling slightly at Evelynn, she mopped up the mess from the strawberries. As she turned around to go back to the kitchen, she gave Evelynn a wink. Evelynn pretended not to see, applying herself to her food. She had a sinking feeling she knew what was going to happen.

"So, you never answered me, Windglimmer. Why were you carrying your own food?" As Andreana began to speak, Evelynn took an extra big bite to give her time to think. She needn't have worried, however, because Ramalad timed her re-entrance impeccably.

"Your juice, Mistress Andreana." Ramalad called from halfway across the room. When she got to the table, she set a mug of hot chocolate down in from of Evelynn. Evelynn smiled – it was her favorite drink. Ramalad continued around the table to Andreana. With a wide grin, she started to put the drink down, and, still grinning, poured the juice over Andreana when her legs slipped out from under her because of the wet floor.

Ramalad quickly changed her grinning smirk into an expression of concern. "Oh! My Lady! I'm so terribly sorry. But the floor was all wet, and I just slipped. Oh, how horrible. I must've ruined you're _lovely_ dress. I feel so _awful_." She got up quickly, and retreated once more to the kitchen, presumably to get another cloth to wipe up the new spill.

She winked at Evelynn in passing, and muttered 'Of course I feel awful – awful that I didn't manage to get her hair as well." Evelynn contained a smirk. She'd known that the whole thing was a set up from the beginning, and her opinion had been confirmed when Ramalad started to babble on so much, which she never did.

Fortunately, her anger caused Andreana to forget her previous, prying questions. Being careful not to remind her, Evelynn spoke. "I'm dreadfully sorry, Andreana _dear._ Sometimes, Ramalad can be so clumsy. But she is so good at fixing hair." She gave the most innocent, vapid smile she could manage.

"Yes, she is very clumsy. Best see it doesn't happen again, or my mother will hear about it." She gave the other girl a glare, which Evelynn ignored as she finished her hot chocolate.

With a graceful sigh from her dress, Evelynn stood. "Again, I'm terribly sorry about what happened, but I must be going. I'm supposed to sing the morning prayers in ten minutes, so if you'll excuse me." She hurried out of the dining hall before Andreana could say anything more.

She stopped in her room and ran a brush through her hair. Then Evelynn hurried to the temple. Her excuse, though exactly that, had not been a lie. She arrived just in time for warm-ups.

During the actual prayers, Evelynn scanned the room. Just as she'd thought, Lady Galacia was sitting quietly near the back, watching her. Because of that, Evelynn's already straight back straitened even more, and she projected her voice just a bit more, so that she'd be heard without throwing off the balance of her section.

When done, Evelynn left quietly, taking a pillowslip she was embroidering outside to the garden. Though she had been just picking at the thing for over a year, and couldn't really care less whether or not she finished it, embroidery was a pastime for a proper Elven lady, and therefore couldn't jeopardize her new offer in the least.

The rest of the day was passed in relative boredom for Evelynn, as were the next few days. She had to be on her best behavior, and even Ramalad was being relatively good. She kept her pranks in check, save for a few 'accidents' that could be blamed on simple clumsiness. Sometimes, Evelynn wondered why the girl didn't rant as much as usual. Perhaps she was finally gaining some sense. So caught up in her effort to be the perfect lady was Evelynn that she didn't even notice that frequently Ramalad was nowhere to be found.

It was nearly the end of Evelynn's trial month at home when Ramalad ran into her room, disheveled and ratty looking. The servant's dress was torn in more than one place, and dirt, grime and leaves were matted in her dark hair. Seeing Evelynn reading calmly in the corner, her eyes got wide and panicked looking.

"Evelynn! Quick! Into the closet. They mustn't find you here with me, lest they suspect you knew. I'm so sorry, my sister." She sounded nearly hysterical.

"Ramalad, what are you talking about? Who's coming that you don't want to..."

"Hurry!" Ramalad cut her 'Mistress' off. Without further ado, she pulled the younger elf to her feet and shoved her into the big walk-in closet and closed the door.

With merely seconds to spare, the elves heard a banging on the door. "Open up, in the name of the Speaker!" Evelynn watched Ramalad standing as stock-still as a rabbit that knows its about to be dinner through the miniscule space between the doors of the closet.

Hearing no answer, three burly guards burst through the door, knocking it right off of its hinges. Two hurried over to Ramalad and held her arms as she struggled. The last stood blocking the door, and he took out an official looking document. Evelynn stifled a gasp of horror.

"Ramalad Argent of House Servitor, you are accused by the Speaker of the Stars, long and prosperous may his life be, of smuggling Kagonesti servants out of our blessed Realms. This is seen as an act of treason, and therefore punishable by banishment. Should you be convicted of being a Dark Elf, you will be thrown out of our blessed forest, and be eliminated from our records as well as our memories. You have one hour to prepare for your trial."

The guards went outside of the room, and Evelynn saw them put the door back up. She then heard them lock it from the outside. Ramalad threw open the closet doors. "Are they outside the windows?" She hissed.

Evelynn peered out, careful not to be seen. "Yes," she replied, equally soft. "But not if I go out our special way. I'll then come back in through the real door, and then we need to talk." Years ago, the elves had discovered a way to climb out through the window without being seen so their pranks would be easier to play.

She carefully climbed out onto the windowsill, being careful not to damage her voluminous gown. She inched her way over to where the large row of trees started, and jumped lightly into the big cleft a few feet down. Soon, she was running effortlessly from limb to limb, tree to tree, clutching her bulky skirts. When she reached the last tree, she peered around, making sure the guards at the window were facing the other direction.

She jumped down with agile grace, and fixed her skirts. As she walked back into the house, she made sure her hair was neat and showed no signs of her impromptu departure. After what seemed like too long a time for such a short trip, she reached the door to her room.

The guards were standing outside, attentively listening to what was going on inside. As she approached, two of the guards crossed their swords to deny Evelynn entry. Knowing this would happen, Evelynn put on the bossiest expression she could muster. "What is the meaning of this? You're locking a daughter of this household out of her own room? One about to be inducted into the ranks of the Daughters of Paladine, no less? This is an outrage. I demand to be let through immediately."

One of the guards started mumbling. "I'm sorry, My Lady, but we're detaining a prisoner waiting for trial. We can't let you through."

"And what am I going to do about that? Wisk your prisoner away in a puff of smoke? Its common knowledge I possess no magic. I demand you desist this idiocy immediately and allow me to enter my rooms."

Thoroughly cowed, not to mention the fact that the relatively uneducated guards only understood about half of what Evelynn said, the guards moved aside and unlocked the door. She swept passed them, every inch the offended noble.

Once inside, she closed the door with an authoritative slam, and locked it from the inside. Before anything else, she went to her dresser and took out a small pouch. She proceeded to line the door with a shimmering dust, and didn't speak before she was finished. "A gift from Darlana. It'll soundproof the room so we can talk in freedom. Now, I'd appreciate an explanation." She was less upset at her friend's upcoming trial than the fact that Ramalad hadn't included, or at least told her and Ramalad knew it.

"I'm sorry, Evelynn. I didn't want to get you in trouble. Even now, I wish I hadn't done anything. If it jeopardizes your position and happiness, I would that none of it happened, sister."

Evelynn hugged her servant, and started to brush the grime from her hair. "There's likely nothing to forgive, sister. I'll be fine. What is it that you did?" Her voice was worried for the older girl.

"Helped the Kagonesti who were brought into slavery. I was talking many months ago with the kitchen drudge Arialla who works next door, and she told me of her life. She was Kagonesti, and had been living in the wilds for the first thirty years of her life. Then one day, warriors of our Speaker invaded the land.

"Before their warriors could do anything, the Silvanesti had several children captured. As the Kagonesti men and women were about to attack, they threatened to kill the children. My friend was one of those children, as was her brother. The Silvanesti warriors said that the whole village must submit to a life of servitude or they'd start killing the children.

"Not believing that they'd commit such heinous acts, the Kagonesti attacked anyway. Arialla's brother was the first to die. She and the other children were forced to watch. After that, the adults surrendered, because even the most fearsome warriors couldn't bear to have their children killed, even if it meant a life of servitude.

"Soon, however, the Kagonesti realized their mistake. Far from servitude, what they were brought into was slavery. Most had one outfit at the most, were scrounging in the refuse for meals, and were sleeping on the floors. If House Servitor is treated like dirt, the imprisoned Kagonesti are treated like manure. Useful fertilizer, nothing more.

"So, with the help of Arialla, I set up a network for smuggling Kagonesti out. They couldn't care less about being called 'Dark Elves', out was where they'd wanted to go, and they'd be overjoyed if they never had to talk to another Silvanesti elf again. First, I would bring one to Arialla's place. She would then take them to the outskirts of Silvanost. There, we have a trail of supporters who take them all the way out.

"First, the refugees get handed to a small family who lives just outside the city. They bring them to several more tiny towns. Finally, one of the border guards who sympathizes with us brings them out.

"We were always exceedingly careful, in all steps of the plan, so I can only assume we were betrayed from the inside. As it was she who suggested it, I cannot believe that it was Arialla who was the traitor. If this is true, she will be tried and exiled as I."

During this narritive, Evelynn started to sob. She was loosing her constant companion, the closest she had to a sister. "Is there no way Paladine might give mercy and allow you to stay? I see no wrong in helping the oppressed."

Ramalad shook her head sadly. "Much as I would like it, it cannot be. I have heard that the trial has nothing to do with the gods at all. Yes, the chain is supposedly motivated by the will of the Platinum Dragon, but in all of our proud history, there has never once been a person found innocent. This even held true in a few trials I've heard of in which the accused was truly innocent, by any standards. From this, we can only assume that it is a spell on the chain that causes its movement, not Paladine."

"Of course, running away is out of the question, because not only would it incriminate you, I would be made a Dark Elf anyway, so it would serve no purpose. All I can do is thank the gods that the guards gave me time to say my farewells to you."

Evelynn had stopped brushing the other girl's hair minutes before, and she now came around to face her. Pulling her up from the seat, she embraced her, not caring in the least for the condition it would put her gown in. Ramalad hugged her back tightly, and both women were sobbing. Finally, it was time. The guards once again broke the door down, much to Evelynn's horror, and dragged Ramalad out.

The night it took for Ramalad to be tried seemed an eternity for Evelynn, much longer than the seventy years of her life. Finally, the elves of Silvanost were lining up to see whether Ramalad was found innocent or guilty, and Evelynn pushed and shoved in a very un-ladylike manner until she got to the front.

What she saw then she was sure broke her heart. Ramalad came out of the building in which her trial was held hogtied and gagged. She was being carted in a wheelbarrow that was being pushed, not gently, by two of the guards who'd been watching Evelynn's room.

In front of them, a cleric of Paladine walked, carrying an official-looking scroll. Voice magnified by a member of House Mystic, he broadcasted the proclamation he held. "Hear ye, hear ye. Let it be known that Ramalad Argent, formerly of House Servitor has been named a Dark Elf for crimes against the Crown. From this day forth, her name shall not be spoken and her presence shall not be remembered. Any caught talking to her will share her fate. Take heed and beware, for you look upon a Dark Elf!"

As he chanted, he walked slowly, following the wheelbarrow. After he was done, the cleric would walk another few feet and begin again. With every recitation, Evelynn felt her heart breaking apart piece by piece. She followed the procession until it was nearly out of Silvanost. When they reached the border of the city, Ramalad wrenched her head around and looked at Evelynn. Evelynn could feel the other girl's eyes boring into her soul, a silent inquiry saying "Are you brave enough to give it all up for the cause of right as I did?"

**A/N:** Sorry about that, people. I had to! The bunnies made me... Anyway, hope you enjoyed. Wow, only two reviews for the last chapter? I know you can do better than that! And in the contest, I now have a tie for first, and no other contestants. Because of that, I'll continue it one more chapter. Remember – the challenge is to identify all of the names used in chapter two. Most are taken from Dalamar the Dark. Hint: I will accept Ramalad's last name as an answer!

Jade Limill: Well, you didn't quite get it, but you definitely get a point for effort. FYI, Lady Ylle Savath (hint, hint) was the one who disapproved of Dalamar's plan. Kudos for his mother's name, though that wasn't what I was going for. A bit easier than that. Anyway, because of the outstanding effort, you tie Kenderling for first with one point!

Guan: Glad you like my characters. Any guesses for the contest?


	5. Meet in Her Aspect and Her Eyes

**Disclaimer: **Unless today's diabolical plan to take over the world actually works, I don't own anything you recognize from outside of my story.

**A/N:** Okay, I'm going to get all my babbling out before the end of the chapter. First, an apology! I'm terribly sorry I haven't updated this (or anything else) in so long. Besides the normal bombardment of work, my muses also left me. Luckily, I now have a new one, The Mage mentioned in this chapter. Unfortunately, he went on strike almost immediately due to Evelynn's makeover. That brings me to my next point: Evelynn was becoming too much of a Sue, even for me. So, I gave her an "X-Treme" makeover. She's now chubby for an elf, has rather dull colored hair, and has fairly ugly green eyes.

Next, I'd like to thank Petalwing not only for her continued support, but also for her amazing research on the Gods of Good for me in this chapter. Now, for responses to reviewers:

Jade: Thanks for reviewing, and glad that cleared stuff up. And yes, Ylle Savath is related to Evelynn's mom (not quite sure how) and Ramalad is Dalamar's great aunt.

Guan: Glad this chapter brought so much feeling for you. No worries about the contest, its down as of this chapter anyway.

Petalwing: Thanks much for reading. As to answering some comments: yes, the Argent line does appear to have major problems with servitude. Sorry about not telling you earlier all the names were from my namesake's book. Ah, the dinner scene. I loved writing that part, because I too could imagine Ramalad's faces. And yes, Ramalad is Dalamar's great aunt. And I also agree that the Argents should all just leave Silvanesti immediately for some true refined society! The titles are a poem (and a song, where I got it from) called She Walks in Beauty by Lord Byron.

Kenderling: Glad you liked. No worries about not reading Dalamar the Dark. I didn't find it nearly as good as the Weis/Hickman books anyway.

A last couple of notes: First, the contest is discontinued. Answers will be revealed along with the tally in the next chapter. Next, has everyone figured out who my Mage is? If you have at the end of this chapter, if you could put your guess in your review, that would be great. I just want to see how blatant or deceptive I was. Last, has everyone heard about the new book by Margaret Weis? Called Amber and Ashes, and takes place after the War of the Souls, for those of you who care. And now, I'm done babbling. So, without further ado, I give you chapter 5:

**Meet in Her Aspect and Her Eyes**

The last few days of Evelynn's life in Silvanesti she could barely remember. What was not spent in mourning Ramalad and the loss of their friendship was spent in a frenzy of packing and other preparations. That week, Evelynn saw her mother more than she had in the past year all together.

Constantly, the older elf was running in and out of Evelynn's room, fussing, packing, straightening, pestering. It took all of Evelynn's self control not to scream at her mother to get out, and even more self-control than that not to break down sobbing for the friend who would have undoubtedly eased her load.

Finally, she was ready. She would ride for days in a carriage with her mother, Lady Galacia, Andreana, and a gaggle of servants and guards. They left Silvanost with considerable pomp, and started the long journey to Istar.

Evelynn wasn't sure how long it took to get there; all of the days melded together as one in boredom. The inside of the carriage was hard and uncomfortable, and Evelynn would have much preferred riding. However, _ladies_ don't ride long distances, and she was going to be a lady. For a while she occupied herself with trying to figure out how much of her freedom would be sacrificed for that purpose. When that was no longer interesting, she thought up tortures for the imbeciles who came up with the rules of 'proper behavior' for ladies.

After what seemed like an eternity, the Elven entourage arrived at Istar. When Evelynn stepped out of the carriage, she immediately felt that the whole ordeal had been worth it.

Istar was everything that she imagined it to be, and more. Though the building style was coarser than that of Silvanost and not as in tune with nature, it had a beauty all of its own.

The white, polished buildings had a magical appeal as though they were straight out of a fantasy story or a dream. The walkways were pristine and tree lined, and everyone smiled at one another as they went. The paths were filled with myriad clerics dedicated to the various deities of good, as well as mages of Solinari. It was one of the clerics who approached Evelynn's entourage first.

"Galacia! Wonderful to see you, my dear." The newcomer was a portly, elderly, human male. His long, flowing hair was a shade as white as pure as his elegant robes, and reached to the middle of his back. He had a set of bushy eyebrows, and a beard that any dwarf would envy.

Galacia took the aged human in a light enmbrace. "Oren, how wonderful to see you. Did anything happen in my absence?"

Oren smiled, a comforting smile that extended to Andreana Evelynn and her mother, as well as everyone passing on the street. It was easy to see how this man had become a cleric, and Evelynn couldn't help but smile back. "Save the droves of new believers streaming in every day to have a hearing with the Kingpriest, there are no changes. You have not been gone _that_ long, Sister."

Andreana stirred a bit next to Evelynn, obviously miffed that the elderly cleric treated her mother as an equal, not with the heightened respect an elf deserved. Evelynn shot her an exasperated look. The other girl seemed to have no concept of the fact that all were equal in Paladine's eyes in the end, no matter what race, gender, or affiliation they might have. Though the Platinum Dragon obviously favored elves in this world, in death all were forgiven.

Oren, however, seemed either oblivious to the unspoken war, or just chose to ignore it, as did Galacia. "I am glad for that, Brother. Now, I'd like to introduce you to a young lady about to be inducted into our fellowship. Revered Father Oren, I'd like to introduce Evelynn Windglimmer of Silvanost."

Evelynn noted her peculiar use of titles, and then remember that clerics of the highest orders were given the title Mother or Father, rather than Son or Daughter. The higher title referred to the fact that they led the rest of the order in spiritual pursuits, as opposed to the lower title, which referred to both their lower rank and the fact that they were the children of Paladine. She noticed her own title was missing as well, but realized that among clerics, secular titles were meaningless, because all were equal to the gods. Even the two titles of the clerics didn't make one group superior to the other; they just separated those who had more time on Krynn to learn rituals from those who were newer.

She curtsied deeply. "No need for that, my Child." As she stood, Evelynn realized that she liked this man, possibly even more than Galacia, whom she respected immensely.

"Thank you, Father. I eagerly await joining with you in service of Paladine."

"That's good, Dear. We could use more youngsters with such faith as strong as yours obviously is. Now, I'd best be off, so you can get yourselves situated." Oren trundled away with a fond look to finish whatever task he had been starting.

After that, getting settled in to her new home was no more than a blur for Evelynn. She was put into a small room, one much smaller than her old one in Silvanost. In Istar, apparently, they held to the old tradition of clerics owning very little finery and living off of the basics. The room was sparsely decorated, with a small cot, a desk, and a chair. There was also a closet and a small chest of drawers for her belongings.

Upon looking back at those first few hours, she had a vague impression of she and her mother bustling around, attempting to get her settled in. Well, she was attempting to settle in, her mother was just bustling. The Lady Ansalath seemed distraught that her precious daughter was being housed in such 'common' quarters, and made Evelynn's job of unpacking a lot harder. However, finally it was done, and it was time for dinner.

Lady Ansalath had enchanted a bit of jewelry to show them the way to dinner, so they found the dining hall with very little effort. Through dinner, Evelynn was introduced to what felt like all of the clerics on Krynn, and could remember none of their names by the end. Luckily, Galacia came to her rescue, saving her from any embarrassing social situations.

"Come, dear. It's time for your tour of the temple complex here at Istar. There are some places that are off limits, but only a few. Otherwise, you'll be free to roam and explore in your free time." She started to lead the soon-to-be cleric around the palace complex.

Within several turns of the plane whitewashed walls, Evelynn was sure she'd be lost the second Galacia left her alone. For a while, Evelynn half tuned out the older cleric, just staring about her in wonder. She did listen a bit, though, so she came back to full attention when Galacia showed her the main chapel of Paladine.

Evelynn's breath was taken away as she entered the beautiful room. The walls, as the rest of the complex, were purest of white. On the wall directly behind the altar was a huge tapestry depicting the head of the Good pantheon in his form as the Platinum Dragon. On the altar itself were several artifacts that looked as though they were made from the holy metal, platinum, itself.

On two of the other walls hung several other, smaller, tapestries, each depicting another god of good. To Evelynn's right, a picture depicting Mishakal healing several elves hung, directly adjacent to the one of Paladine. A blue symbol for infinity hung like a sun above her. Next to her, the Warrior God, Kiri-Jolith was shown, riding bravely into battle, swinging a horned battle-axe. After Kiri-Jolith was his twin, Habbakuk. He was shown under water in a stunning seascape, a blue phoenix holding a branch of wheat skimming the surface of the water above his head.

On the left wall, Paladine's son Solinari hung, shown centered in a silvery moon. He appeared to be intent in casting some difficult spell. Opposite the warrior god, a tapestry of Majere fell. The Mantis was sitting in an empty field, cross-legged. He appeared to be deep in meditation, and a real praying mantis walked across his opened palm. A rose, the Elven symbol of the god, bloomed above his head. Next to him was a tapestry of Brachala, also called Astarin. The god of music was shown playing a harp as Elves, his sacred people, danced to his silent melody. Evelynn felt her heartbeat hasten to catch up his sacred melody of life.

Evelynn was robbed of breath temporarily. This holy room was the single most beautiful room she'd ever seen, on top of which, it contained a sense of peace and tranquility. This place obviously had divine support, as well as the love of mortals across all of Krynn.

Evelynn's reverie was broken when Galacia spoke once more. "This is where you will be singing the morning devotions to Eli every day after your initiation. I hope you find it satisfactory?" There was a slight hint of a tease in the head of the Elven cleric's voice as she watched Evelynn stare around, open-mouthed.

All Evelynn could do was speak nonsense syllables in pleasure as she looked about. Now that she knew singers would be there, she examined the room more closely. Its high, domed ceiling would catch the sound and spread it beautifully, while the tapestries would make sure that the resonant voices of the Elves would not reverberate overly much. There were large windows in the walls that looked as though they had slits that would open in the morning so that the choir's devotions would ring throughout the complex. On top of that, Evelynn would be willing to bet her mother's best dress that just out of the windows were magical amplifiers to be sure that everyone in the vicinity could hear Paladine's glory sung.

Finally, Evelynn got a hold of herself. "It's amazing, My Lady! I can't believe that I'll actually be able to sing here every single morning. It's just so wonderful. I can't believe I'm actually here. It's so..." Her exited voice trailed off as she remembered that clerics didn't babble, and neither did Elven ladies.

Galacia was understanding, however, not even giving her a look of disapproval as she usually might. This was the reaction of all who entered the Sanctuary of Paladine for the first time, and for some, even the second or third. Even she had been completely overwhelmed upon seeing the holy place. After allowing Evelynn to gape for another minute, she gently led the young elf out of the sanctuary.

As the two Elves continued down the hallway, neither saw the discreet shadow slip away in the opposite direction.

Galacia continued to lead Evelynn around the Temple complex. The next place of note was the Hall of Sacrilege. This was one of the places that Evelynn couldn't go without an escort of older clerics. "This used to be one of the Towers of High Sorcery. However, the Kingpriest determined that its inhabitants were marring the pristine atmosphere of the Holy Temple, so he made them leave. Afterwards, he turned their Tower into the Hall of Sacrilege to remind all the impure gods are not welcome in Istar. So far, it contains a collection of powerful artifacts of Takhisis and Chemosh, along with others."

Evelynn stared at the impressive Hall, and decided that she'd never try to disobey the older cleric's orders. In short, she was terrified of the old Tower. It was an imposing structure, and obviously mage built. Though she didn't agree with other gods being chased away, Evelynn would have no trouble staying away from the Hall herself.

Next, Galacia led Evelynn towards the sleeping quarters. The guest quarters, though not off limits, were pointless to visit unless she knew someone there. The next hallway was where the clerics' rooms where Evelynn herself would be staying. It was a fairly long hall, with several branches. Next were the nobles' quarters, which again, weren't off limits, but not anywhere that Evelynn would have to go.

The next hallway surprised Evelynn. It was slightly more secluded than the other halls of living quarters, being set further back into the wall. At first Evelynn thought it lacked the magical lights that illuminated the rest of the complex, but upon further inspection realized she was mistaken. Whatever the reason, however, the hallway seemed darker than the ones surrounding it. Though Galacia was about to pass it without explanation, Evelynn stopped to peer curiously into its shadowy depths.

When she saw her young charge had stopped to gape, Galacia turned around and abruptly dragged her young charge along. "Don't stop there. You never know when _he_ might be lurking."

Evelynn was puzzled at this. Even the places that were off limits Galacia had let her see so that she would understand why they were forbidden, but she seemed especially reticent about this one. "Who? Why does it matter if someone sees us? Revered Mother, what's wrong?"

Galacia looked slightly pale after going past, and was clutching the amulet depicting her god. They continued to walk hurriedly, despite Evelynn's protests. "The mage. He lives there." She refused to say any more. After going through even more winding halls, they were back at the dining hall, where they'd started.

When she was sure Evelynn would be able to find her way to the dining hall in the morning, Galacia escorted her back to her own quarters. Galacia told her that she would be free of duties for the next week, though still expected to stay out of trouble. After that, she'd have her initiation ceremony, and then only three more weeks of probation before claiming full cleric status. Apparently, Galacia's stiffness from before had dissipated with time. She bid the younger girl a fond goodnight before continuing on to her own chambers.

The next morning, Evelynn woke up for an early breakfast. She found the dining hall with relatively little trouble. A wrong turn showed her the shortcut she and Galacia had taken back to the clerics' hall the night before. It avoided going past the mysterious mage's quarters, an occurrence Evelynn was partially glad for, partially disappointed.

At breakfast, a wide array of food was offered buffet style. There were things to tempt all, from the lightly eating, vegetarian Elves, to the meat loving, ravenous humans. Evelynn helped herself to a few pieces of fruit, eagerly snatching a heartfruit, the purplish, heart shaped sweet food that was the prize of the Silvanesti. She was delighted to see that there was also a pot of hot chocolate heating in the corner.

Evelynn hurried over to an unoccupied table. As she got older, she'd gotten more and more reticent, partly because she liked things others her age scorned. While other Elven maids might discuss boyfriends, she'd sooner discuss politics and the flaws of society. And so it was, she found herself going over to a corner table that was unoccupied. She never saw the odd looks shot her way because of her choice of seat, as she was eagerly looking around this hall for faces, both familiar and strange. Though she'd never admit it, she was mostly looking to see if she could find the mage that Galacia had mentioned the day before.

She looked around eagerly for anything out of the ordinary, anything that might mar the goodness of the atmosphere at Istar, but if the mage was there at all, she didn't see him. Mage or not, she enjoyed looking at the large variety of people eating at the dining hall. Many clerics filled the seats, accompanied by mages of Solinari.

People of all races also filled in the benches; people Evelynn assumed must fill positions for everything from government officials to servants. When she saw a large group of Elven clerics stand up, Evelynn quickly left as well. She guessed that they were part, if not all, of the choir, and she dearly wanted to hear the morning prayers sung in that amazing sanctuary.

What Evelynn did not notice as she stood, quickly trailing the other Elves, was that as soon as she vacated the corner table, someone took her place. This was someone who looked to be no more than a shadow, and it was his usual presence at the table that had made the others stare.

In her excitement, however, Evelynn noticed none of this. When she got to the chapel, she was not disappointed. The clerics had lined up on benches of different heights to be sure that no one's voice was blocked. Evelynn observed that everyone in the chorus was an elf. Not surprising because of their naturally beautiful voices, but something Evelynn had never considered before.

The morning devotions were just as beautiful as Evelynn had hoped and anticipated. She couldn't wait for the end of the week when she'd be joining them. It was all too soon that the beautiful music ended.

A couple of the Elves broke away from the main group, stopped for a second in the crowd, and made their way to Evelynn. They were both stereotypical beauties, one dressed in slightly finer robes than the other. "Oh, I don't think I've seen you here before." It was the richer one, who was also slightly taller, who spoke.

"Yes. I'm new. I'm joining the choir at the end of the week." Evelynn was delighted that they noticed her.

The taller one looked at Evelynn curiously. "I thought they only let in Elves. I wasn't aware there were going to be humans too. Oh, wait. You are Elven, aren't you? My apologies, you had a bit of a human look to you. Probably the cut of the dress."

Evelynn blushed to the top of her pointed ears, and smoothed her dress down self-consciously. She would've given the other girl a sharp retort, but saw Galacia out of the corner of her eye. "Of course I forgive you, Revered Daughter. Humans and Elves both are precious to Eli, so in the end, it doesn't really matter what race we are. Don't you think? Evelynn Windglimmer, by the way." She held her hand out to the astonished cleric.

The other woman recovered her composure quickly, surprised as she was at Evelynn's tactful reply. "Tevasirrinoras Moonshine. This is Rinni Starbeam." She shook Evelynn's hand lightly, as if she were afraid of catching some sort of disease. "I don't believe I've heard of your family's name. Are you a lesser cleric like Rinni?"

Rinni blushed slightly at the slight to her family. Evelynn, however, kept her face expressionless. Years of containing her personality and emotions from the public were already paying off. "I wouldn't say any are lesser clerics, Revered Daughter Tevasirrinoras. By the teachings of Eli, all are equal, just more or less experienced. However, in answer to your question, my family has recently gained favor with the Speaker. I was invited to this beautiful city by Revered Mother Galacia."

Teva seemed a bit put off by the fact that Evelynn used Galacia's name. "Well, in that case, I suppose I will see you around soon." She sounded distinctly less than pleased at that thought. Without giving Evelynn a chance to answer, she turned on her heal and swept away.

Rinni half turned to follow her, and then paused. "I'm sorry about Teva. She's not the most tactful. I hope you'll give both of us another chance." When she saw Teva look back with an irritated glance, she hurried off with a slight grimace.

Evelynn shook her head, their petty prejudices abruptly remembering why she always sought solitude or Ramalad's company, rather than that of her peers. Ramalad – she felt her heart squeeze painfully with the thought of the servant who had become friend, sister, and mother to her. She shook her head, attempting to clear it of those thoughts.

Not a moment too soon did she wrench herself out of speculation. "Did you enjoy the service?" Galacia's tone was approving, and Evelynn realized that she had overheard the conversation between the three younger elves.

"Yes, very much, Revered Mother. The acoustics in this room are even better than I'd hoped for. I cannot wait to join the ranks of the clerics next week." She gave the older cleric what she hoped was an unstrained smile.

"That's very good, Child. I heard how you handled yourself against Teva's interrogation, and I was quite impressed. By what your mother had said, I was lead to believe that you were still an impulsive child, but now I see I must have been mistaken. And Rinni spoke the truth. Teva has a hard shell, but a good heart. She is still learning Eli's lessons of kindness. Now, I must be off. Feel free to explore today." The head of the Elven clerics bustled away to talk to some of the other choir members.

Evelynn decided to take Galacia up on her offer to explore. She'd wanted to take a look at the open-air market next to the temple complex. She not only wanted to take a look around for curiosity's sake, but also decided that her sparse room needed more color. She was hoping to find a small tapestry or wall hanging.

Without too much trouble, she found her way back to her room, and picked up her money and cloak. It took a bit longer for Evelynn to find her way out of the complex, but she was finally able to do it. She looked around happily at the beautiful day. The market appeared to be every bit a fascinating as she'd hoped. People of all races were selling everything from magical trinkets to clothes to other beings.

She walked about for hours, simply admiring the waves of colors and scents of the market. Finally, she wandered over to the cloth sellers, and found a booth of beautifully woven tapestries. After much deliberation, she decided on a bright tapestry of a silver dragon set in a peaceful forest. It would give her a bit of home to look on, without making her terribly homesick through its likeness. She started to wander slowly back to the complex.

All of a sudden, up ahead she saw a man who looked exactly like Oren, the head of the White Robes. The odd thing was that he was coming out of a mageware shop. Evelynn shrugged, and hurried to catch up with him. She was hoping that the kindly old man would be willing to shed some light on that intriguing mystery of the mage.

"Oren!" she called to the man as she neared him.

He turned around quickly to the sound of the name, but Evelynn then saw that he actually was not the elderly human cleric. She frowned, because on closer inspection, his robe was actually a grey-ish form of the white robe of a mage. He was also a lot more slender than the portly Oren. Like Oren, he also had long white hair and a beard to match, but over his eyebrows sat a pair of spectacles. On his head was a tattered hat. Evelynn was puzzled, because she, like all other Elves, had very acute eyesight, and should have been able to pick out the individual strands of his long, white hair from the distance she'd first seen him.

She blushed as he looked her over, realizing he must've had some sort of cloaking spell over him that changed his true appearance slightly. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Grandfather. I must've mistaken you for someone else." She turned to go.

"Quite all right, Child." He reached out and caught her wrist, a gesture that would have disturbed her if it had been just any stranger, but from this old man, it oddly didn't bother the young Elf. "My name is... what's my name again? Furball, Foosball, Felt, Fireball... Great spell, that one. How did it go? Oh yes! I remember now!" Evelynn cringed at the thought that this batty old man might be casting a fireball spell, but he simply grinned benignly.

"Fizban! That's my name. Oren is a good chap, though. But about you, Evelynn. You should trust your instincts more. You have a good head on your shoulders, you just need to use it." Evelynn was more than a bit disconcerted that this slightly mad mage knew her name.

He finally relinquished control of her wrist, and began to walk away. As he was about to disappear into the crowd, he turned back to the dazed Evelynn. "By the way, young woman, not all of those who wear black are truly bad. Now, where did I put my hat?"


	6. Thus Mellowed To That Tender Light

**Disclaimer:** I own it all! Oh, wait, I can only say that _after_ I've taken over the world, right? Well, then, I guess that means I don't own anything I didn't create. Oh yeah, kudos to Andrew Loyd Webber, who inspired the further development of Teva's character.

**Thus Mellowed To That Tender Light**

The rest of the week flew by for Evelynn and before she knew it, it was time for her initiation ceremony. Her mother had returned to Silvanost in the beginning of the week, so Evelynn was alone in the sanctuary to face the board of clerics. She felt amazingly alone, standing there next to the alter of Paladine. Though there were two humans talking their vows as well, Evelynn still felt as though the whole crowd was staring exclusively at her. She felt stunningly inadequate and ugly compared to the splendor of the room.

After the crowd quieted, Oren stood. Walking slowly away from the table of high-ranking clerics, he faced the nervous young women. Evelynn forced her gaze upward from where it had landed at her feet. She attempted to look only at Oren, and not the crowd, but her gaze was like a moth drawn to flame. She stared up at the crowd of several hundred people, and suddenly a flash of white caught her eye. She realized it was actually more of a grey color as she looked. The old mage from the marketplace was standing quietly in the back of the room. He winked at Evelynn, but when she looked more closely, he was gone. Rather than feeling disconcerted, Evelynn somehow felt comforted by the mysterious old man's support.

The following ceremony was much like a marriage, and in a way, it was one. Though clerics were not sworn to celibacy, the vows to their god were supposed to be above all earthly vows. The ceremony itself passed in a blur for Evelynn, who was too nervous to remember any specific details. The rite consisted mostly of the board of clerics questioning the would-be clerics about their faith, and having them swear upon holy artifacts that they would be true. The artifacts served the purpose of binding the clerics to their word. Though it had not happened in centuries, there were tales of imposters being struck down on the spot by an irate god for swearing falsely on a holy artifact.

This ceremony, however, went without mishap. Finally, one of the head clerics approached each of the initiates with Paladine's medallion. This would be the final test, as sure as a mage's Test. The medallions were placed over each initiate's head, and were let fall to their chests. These medallions were infused with Paladine's essence and power, and would have even more volatile reactions to the unworthy than the artifacts would.

Rejections from the medallions happened far more frequently than with the artifacts, since Paladine's power in them was more intimate. The medallions would reject people in any manner that befit their flaws, from simply flying off of the neck of one who was not truly dedicated, to incinerating someone with evil intentions. As Evelynn felt the weight of the medallion settle on her chest, she was suddenly filled with the fear that she would be found wanting. She knew in her heart that any second, the pendant would fly back over her shoulders to the waiting hands of Galacia, who had given it to her. She winced as she felt it move slightly.

However, it seemed to just be adjusting itself to the natural shape of her body. She let out a relieved sigh of air at the realization that she was not unworthy. As she turned to the crowd with a broad smile, she could've sworn she heard a voice saying, "Now why would I think you unworthy?" She realized that she must have just been imagining it, partly because the voice sounded very much like that of Fizban.

Evelynn descended to the crowd on a cloud of happiness. Now would be a feast held in the honor of her and her fellow initiates, clerics, she corrected herself. Not really knowing anyone, Evelynn got a small plate of fruit and went to sit down. She grimaced as she saw Rinni and Tevasirrinoras come over, but made a decision to be as friendly to them as possible. She knew that she wasn't the most social of people, but realized that she could use a friend or two in the wonderful, but alien, city.

She stood up gracefully to meet the two other clerics. "Congratulations!" Rinni sounded genuinely happy for Evelynn. She plopped down in the seat next to the new cleric, and Teva sat beside her.

"So you passed." Apparently, Teva had not thawed at all for the other elf.

"So I did." Evelynn's tried to keep her voice cheerful and friendly, but could not help the bit of acidity that shone through. Suddenly, in a burst of homesickness, she wished that Ramalad were there. Ramalad would have known exactly how to get Teva out of the way without sacrificing a blooming friendship with Rinni. After a minute of uncomfortable silence, Evelynn decided it was time to try to generate some small talk. "So, what's it like, singing with the chorus every morning?"

"You've never sung with a chorus before?" Teva's voice was scornful to the extreme.

"I… Of course I did, in Silvanost. I've just never sung in an acoustically perfect room, with such a talented chorus. Does it ever get boring?"

"Oh, no. I love…" Rinni started to speak, but was cut off by the haughty Teva.

"Oh yes. After a decade or so, it becomes simply routine. Except when they begin giving out solos. Not that you'd be getting any anyway." She turned her nose up, and delicately bit into a strawberry. Evelynn thought it was rather supernatural that none of the juice so much as stained the other elf's lips.

"Well, you don't know, Teva." Rinni tried to cut into the conversation again. "You've never even heard Evelynn sing." She smiled slightly at Evelynn, careful to hide the glance from Teva.

"True, I've never heard her sing. However, with me here, why would they even imagine giving the solos to anyone else?" She started to get up to leave. "By the way, rehearsal for tomorrow morning starts at four this afternoon." She dragged Rinni away before the younger girl could say so much as "Goodbye."

Evelynn didn't trust Teva, however, Galacia and Oren had disappeared into the crowd, and she saw no one else she knew well enough to ask. With a shrug, Evelynn got up. Then, however, a band of previously unnoticed musicians started playing. Evelynn grinned as the first upbeat circle dance began. All elves seemed to innately love music, and Evelynn was no exception. Though she didn't have a dancer's form, or even perfect grace as most elves had, she'd always loved group dances.

She whirled around, feet moving in perfect time to the rhythm. With the sound of the music and the sway of her body, all inhibitions seemed to dissipate. Suddenly, all of her problems seemed meaningless, and her confidence increased. At that instant, she decided that she'd get to practice an hour early, and prove to Teva that she was as good, if not a better musician.

As the dancing wore to an end, Evelynn glanced out the window to see the sun. It looked to be about two o'clock. With a nod at nothing in particular, Evelynn headed off to her room, hoping not to get lost. As she was walking, she ran into Andreana, Galacia's daughter. "You heard about the four o'clock rehearsal today?" At Evelynn's surprised nod, she smiled and walked away quickly. Evelynn walked quickly to her room from there, arriving at her room with only one wrong turn in only a few minutes. Evelynn quickly took a bath, washing away the nervousness or the morning, and the exertions of both the social situations and the dancing.

Feeling refreshed, she climbed out of the tub and toweled off with one of the soft towels she brought from home. When she was dry, Evelynn put on her second best set of white robes, settling the medallion on her chest with a sense of pride. Though it could have just been the warm feeling people tend to get after a relaxing bath, she could've sworn the medallion gave her a slight feeling of warmth as it settled over dress. She smiled, because whichever it was, she enjoyed the sensation.

Tying her hair up so that it would not get her new robes went, Evelynn left her room for the chapel. Again, she found it with no trouble. She found that there was no one else in the chapel yet. She sighed with relief. Maybe she'd read Teva wrong, and the girl had been telling the truth! She decided to wait for two hours, though, because if the choir hadn't been early, it was possible that they were going to rehearse at five rather than three.

An hour went by fairly quickly, and Evelynn passed the time by taking in every detail of the beautiful tapestries in the room. The second hour did not go so quickly. She figured that the other members of the choir would be arriving at the end of that hour, though, so she stayed there. The third hour went even more slowly. Finally, it was after the sixth hour of the afternoon when her ears picked up the delicate tread of Elven feet on the floor outside. She rushed to the door.

"Revered Mother!" She was surprised, since Galacia was not involved with the choir at all.

"Sister Evelynn, what are you doing here? How long have you been here?" Galacia noted the wrinkles on her robe from first sitting for an hour, then pacing.

"I'm waiting for the choir, Mother. Teva and Andreana told me that they were rehearsing today." She kept her voice neutral, though she was worn out from waiting all afternoon.

Galacia shook her head disapprovingly. "Many of the older children of the choir take it upon themselves to test the new recruits by playing these kind of tricks on the new ones like you. Don't take it personally, they do it to everyone. There will be repercussions, however, do not doubt it." The older cleric's mouth formed a thin, stern line on her face.

At what she said, Evelynn jumped. "Oh, Mother, please don't tell them off for this. They'll think I told on them, and then I'll never be able to gain their respect."

Galacia nodded, and Evelynn realized that in her own way, Galacia had been testing her as well. "That is true. It will be as you say, but I will remember who it was, and watch to be sure they don't bother you more than is necessary. Practice really starts an hour before the morning service, and what music you don't know yet will be taught at the afternoon rehearsal, at two. Now, you should really go to dinner. Go on." She made a shooing motion with her hand, and Evelynn went off.

As she walked towards the dining hall, Evelynn realized that despite her afternoon of seclusion, boredom, and stress, she was not hungry in the least. She was reminded once again of the cruelties of her fellow elves, and why she'd always preferred solitude, or Ramalad's company, to that of her peers. One thing she could never understand was how the chosen people of good could be so petty. She figured that it was the way the most beautiful apples always have rotten cores, but it still made little sense.

When she got to the dining hall, she took a few pieces of fruit, and looked for a table. The one where she'd been sitting since the beginning of the week was unoccupied as always, so she went there to sit. On her way, she noted that the hot chocolate stand was still there, and decided that this was a chocolate moment if ever there was one. She added a mug of the steaming brew to her meal, and went to sit down.

As she slowly ate, she idly wondered why no one else ever sat at her table. It wasn't as though she minded, since it allowed her to continue to avoid social situations, but she still wondered. The table was perfectly normal, and save for it being in the most isolated corner, had no downsides whatsoever. However, even she'd started to notice the odd looks people gave her after a few days when she sat there. After a few more minutes of silent contemplation, she drained her mug and got up to go back to her rooms.

Evelynn walked back towards her room, no longer bothering to concentrate on where she was going. She was thinking of other things, and when she thought she saw a flash of grey robes, she immediately, unthinkingly followed. She had been wanting to talk to that old man again, and because of that didn't pay attention to where she was walking. She walked more quickly now, wondering how such an old man could move so quickly. As she reached the end of that hallway, she saw the flash again turning into another corridor. As she sped up even more, trying very hard to move quickly without being unladylike, Fizban turned around and winked at her.

Finally, she reached the hallway where she'd seen him and turned into it. She looked around in shock. The old man was nowhere in sight, and the corridor led to a dead end. Still not quite realizing where she was, she moved deeper into the hall to see if he was using that cloaking spell again to stay hidden in the shadows. Suddenly, a door, the only one she could see in the hall, opened into her face. She took a leap back as the door nearly hit her.

As the occupant of the room walked out, Evelynn took another step back. The man was wearing robes so dark they seemed to leech all of the ambient light out of the hallway. She looked around, realizing that her wanderings had brought her in front of the quarters of the mage that Galacia was so afraid of. She was paralyzed in fear and shock for a second, and that was all it took for the mage, still deeply entranced in some spellbook, to collide with her.

Evelynn squeaked in fright as he turned his eyes to her. However, when she saw his face, a young face of a perfectly normal human, her fear of the unknown turned to righteous indignation. "Excuse you!" Her voice was sharp, biting.

"Actually," the young man's voice was soft, deadly. "I believe it is you who should apologize, as it was you who were standing outside of my door." He looked down slightly to meet Evelynn's gaze, his eyes an icy blue.

Though rather intimidated by this avatar of evil, Evelynn would not let herself turn away. She was a cleric, and as such had Paladine's protection. She held her head proudly. Much as she wanted to smack him for insolence, it was not seemly for a cleric to do so, she reminded herself. "As you wish." Her voice was acidic, and her eyes flashed with a god's anger. She turned on her heel and stomped off to her room.

* * *

The mage walked to dinner, feeling slightly disconcerted. He took a plate of food, and sat down at his normal table, a corner one half engulfed by shadows. He had spent a very successful day deciphering a dificult spell, and then one little cleric had to make him feel completely baffled and idiotic. He was not used to feeling the fool, and she certainly did that to him. 

He replayed the whole scene in his head. At first, the girl seemed terrified of him, but then she almost seemed to be flirting. With him! Even before he donned the black robes, the mage had never been popular with women. He shook his head, and tried to shove this mystery about women until another time. Hopefully, a time when he wasn't close to learning a spell that would drain someone's soul out through a bloodstone. With that pleasing thought, he had no problem going back to his spellbook as he ate in silence.

* * *

Evelynn got back to her room, head full of confusing thoughts. The way her teachers made it out to be, evil was either too beautiful or too hideous to exist. Either way, evil would seduce you and trap you. Both would as soon kill you as look at you. The young mage, however, was not either of those dangerous extremes, and seemed almost nice in a sarcastic kind of way. His hair was a wavy brown, and his eyes one of the most pure shades of icy blue that Evelynn had ever seen. She found herself admiring his looks and his volatile temper despite herself. 

Suddenly, Evelynn chided herself. She was acting like a lovesick child, not even out of her forties! 'Almost nice, in a sarcastic way?' She shook her head. She was _not_ going to associate with people of _his_ type, no matter how innocent they seemed. However, as sleep overcame her, Evelynn heard Fizban's voice again, making that cryptic statement of the week before. "Not all of those who wear black are truly bad."

**A/N:** Wow, sorry for that delay. More from a burst of inspiration on everything else than a lack of it on this. Just wanted to say: in this chapter, and in all of those following, even though I took the basis from Daughter of Prophesy, there are a few discrepancies. This version is the more correct one, and I'll try to go back and fix the other when I have a chance. Also, the part about the cleric's initiation was completely made up, so if anyone knows differently as a fact, please tell me! Now, reviews are wonderful tools for improving a writer's writing, and (possibly) even more importantly getting her to update again quickly. So, you know the drill – push the button, and drop me a note! All comments are welcome, though I'll sic Fie on any flamers!

Guan: I tried to make it obvious, I was just making sure, since I have a tendency to write things I think are obvious, and then no one picks up on my little hints! Glad you enjoyed, and hope you like this chapter too.

Petalwing: Glad you liked how I put in Fizban. Also, thanks for the praise on the descriptions of Istar. I was worried that it was going to have some fatal flaw or something like that! As to Ramalad's reappearance, truth to be told, I don't even know. Translation: Fie has not yet deigned to tell me whether or not she ever reappears. Thanks for reading and leaving such a nice review, as always.

Jade Limill: Glad you like Fizban's entrance. I was surprised – all of my reviewers seemed to really like that! As to more kender – sorry, this is pre-Cataclysm. If you'll remember, in Legends, the reason it was so bad that Tas went back in time was that there were no kender back then. I'll keep the request in mind for my other stories, though. Thanks for reviewing, as always!


	7. Which Heaven to Gaudy Day Denies

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything you recognize from outside of my writing.

**A/N:** Sorry about the delay. Life's been slightly crazy lately. Hopefully, the length of this chapter will make up for that a bit. Enjoy! By the way, this chapter is also known as Chapter of the Character Flaws, and So There is A Plot Hiding Around Here Somewhere!

**Which Heaven To Gaudy Day Denies**

Evelynn awoke the next morning, feeling troubled. She'd had a very restless night, thinking over Fizban's words, and the mannerisms of the strange mage. She put all thoughts aside, however, to go to chorus practice. She dressed quickly, tying her hair simply to keep it out of her face. She hurried to the sanctuary.

With relief, Evelynn found a large group of other elves in the sanctuary upon her arrival. Risers had been set up on the raised platform around the alter, and elves were either in their places on the risers, or standing around on the floor, chatting amiably. With a wince, Evelynn stood just inside the door. She knew how idiotic she must look, just standing there, but she knew no one other than Rinni, Teva, and Andreana. Due to a lack of sleep, she was in no mood to suffer through one of their battles of wills, so she decided that standing isolated was the better choice.

Suddenly, Evelynn noticed a rather attractive young elf making his way towards her. "Hello. My name is Eramil."

For a couple of seconds, Evelynn could only stand there, stunned. It was not that she was overcome by his good looks, more that she was just completely stunned that someone would actually approach her and want to talk. "Uh… Evelynn." She tried to smile.

"You new around here?" Evelynn contained a wince as she was reminded of why she didn't enjoy small talk.

"Yes. I was initiated yesterday." _I will not be sarcastic, I will not antagonize._ Evelynn recited this litany to herself to keep from using the biting sarcasm that sometimes jumped out of her mouth, seemingly of its own will. She desperately tried to think of something else to say, something slightly intelligent, but not haughty. Nothing came. "I don't know many people yet."

Eramil smiled at her, his long, silvery-blond hair creating a halo around his features. "It takes a while to get to know everyone. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll meet more people today."

_That's what I'm afraid of!_ Evelynn couldn't help but think to herself that behind that beautiful covering, there was not much of a mind. However, first encounters could be deceiving, so she decided to give the young man a chance. "So, what part do you sing? I'm a second soprano." The vocal part she was referring to was the lower of the two upper voices. It was a challenging part, since it often had counter-melodies, harmonies, and notes to fill the chords rather than a line that actually made sense.

"I'm a first tenor." He apparently sang the highest of the male parts. Evelynn was not surprised, since higher voices seemed to be predominant among elves, and true baritones, let alone basses were hard to come by. Finally, the choral master came in, saving Evelynn from further social embarrassment.

"For those of you who are new, I am Revered Son Fiel." The chorus master pointed out which section of the risers went to each voice, and handed out new music to the few new people. Fiel's hair was a bright blond and he wore it in a loose ponytail. Evelynn estimated that he must be at least one hundred and fifty, but he held himself as though he was trying to appear younger.

Evelynn looked over the first few pieces, and realized that they were, luckily, the same arrangements used in Silvanost. She was sure that there would be other more difficult pieces soon, but for now, the old melodies were comforting. Unexpectedly, there was almost no warm up. It appeared that the elves were expected to warm up in their rooms before coming. Evelynn winced as she heard her voice sticking in her throat the way it tended to do in the early morning.

_Rehearsal doesn't matter – performance does._ Evelynn tried to tell herself that, but couldn't help but notice Andreana and Teva smirking from the first soprano section. Likely, they were also laughing because her voice wasn't high enough for her to be placed in the lauded first soprano section. Even though pure, high voices were common along elves, the first sopranos still got all of the melody, and the glory, though the altos and second sopranos had the much harder task of keeping the harmonies together.

Singing in the beautiful room was amazing. Even with her scratchy morning throat, Evelynn felt as though the wonderful acoustics were pulling the notes from her throat, making them even purer and more in tune then they were naturally. After singing in a room like the sanctuary, Evelynn was sure she would have trouble singing in any other room for lack of that beautiful quality the air gave it.

Finally, after much painful throat clearing, Evelynn had warmed up her voice and was ready for the morning prayers. It was apparently just in time, too, since Fiel suddenly got a strained look on his face and told them to stand straighter. "Oh, and Evelynn, do try to stop clearing your throat!" His acidic remark came just as the first few worshipers trailed into the chapel, and Evelynn felt her cheeks burning under the speculation of the other elves.

Evelynn's anxiety and embarrassment made her voice quaver during the first song, and she botched several of the easier intervals. Because of this, her insecurity and shaking got even worse. The second piece was even worse than the first for her, due to the looks that many of the other choir members were shooting her. Finally, face red in shame, she dropped out during the third song, and just mouthed the words.

By the end of the service she was close to tears. As someone who always cried easily, she dug her nails into her palms to try to stem the tears she felt, hot in her eyes. Finally, the service was over, and the elves started to get off of the risers. Before she could flee, Evelynn was cornered by Teva and Andreana. "Nice first service." Andreana's voice was scornful, taunting.

With a sneer, Teva spoke. "Good luck on solo auditions." With a toss of her hair, she and Andreana walked towards some of their other friends, leading Rinni away so she couldn't talk to Evelynn.

At the older elves' words, Evelynn fled from the room, sobbing. She was past caring who saw her, and her only thought was to be alone. She barreled through the corridors, ignoring all who tried to stop her. Finally, she made it to her room, slamming the door behind her. She fell onto her bed, weeping. She felt a comforting arm wrap around her, and was crying into a bony shoulder covered in soft robes before she realized that it shouldn't be there.

With a gulp to catch her breath, Evelynn jerked herself erect. "Wh… Why? How?" She managed to stutter at the elderly mage with the dirty white robes who was perched on the edge of her bed.

"Because I have nothing better to do, and because your door was unlocked. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. Even I do!"

For once, the old man seemed to be almost lucid, and Evelynn couldn't help but smile at his statement of intense hubris. "But in front of all of those people!"

"It didn't make a damn difference to most of those people that you were losing your voice. Even if they noticed, it will not affect them in the least. Other mistakes are not so easy to forget, or remedy. Now, where did I put my hat? Can't do magic without my hat, you know."

Evelynn was thrown off balance yet again by the ancient man's sudden mood change. "On your head, Fizban. Your hat is on your head." She sighed. Though the mage's presence was comforting, sometimes, his words seemed to hinder more than help.

"Very good. Now, you give that Teva a run for her money this afternoon at rehearsal. You might want to practice the first solo in the opening song. Lovely talking to you, my dear, but I really must be off now. Very busy, you know!" Evelynn rolled her eyes. What could the decrepit magic user have to do that was so important? She was about to ask the man what he'd meant about practicing the solo, but when she turned back to him, he was gone.

For another few minutes, Evelynn sat, composing herself. Then, she went to the drawer, and pulled out a small piece of good Silvanesti chocolate. On top of her slow metabolism, that was the reason Evelynn was slightly pudgy for an elf – she lived by the belief that chocolate could make most, if not all, of the world's ills seem a bit less bad!

No harm in practicing that solo, she decided once she'd finally calmed down. For a few hours, she practiced the solo relentlessly, smoothing out all minor problems and glitches. Finally, she could sing it perfectly, assuming she didn't panic again. She took a brief lunch. For this meal, she got a mug of steaming tea with honey, something that always helped her throat before an audition.

Finally, two o'clock rolled around, and Evelynn strode to the chapel, newly confident. She had resolved not to look at anyone, and to think only of herself and her own performance. Unfortunately, Eramil managed to spot her the minute she walked into the room. "Evelynn! It's terrible what happened to you earlier. But don't feel bad, everyone has bad days." He was apparently trying to be comforting.

"Thanks, Eramil. I'm good now, and hopefully will do a lot better this afternoon." She nodded to him, and attempted to walk away without being rude. The other elf, however, apparently had other plans.

"Well, if you ever need me, I am here." _Well, duh! If you weren't here, you wouldn't be talking to me!_ "When do you usually have dinner? Do you want to eat with me?"

For a second, Evelynn just gaped at him. _Did he just ask me out?_ "Me?" _Not a very witty reply, was it? _"I mean, um, why not?" She was still rather puzzled, since he barely knew her, and her type was not one that got asked on a date for looks alone.

"All right then. I'll meet you at the dining hall at six?" Evelynn could only nod, still shocked.

Shaking her head to clear it, Evelynn started towards her spot on the risers. This time, she was ready when Revered Son Fiel flew into the first song without any warm up. After only a few measures, she allowed herself to fall into a state in which the only thing that existed was the music. It surrounded her, filled her, flowed through her. The acoustics of the room pulled the sound from her, and it flew flawlessly from her unresisting throat. She felt that she sang better than she ever had, and almost didn't stop when Fiel cut them off.

"Much improved from this morning." Fiel's acidic voice cut through Evelynn's artistic reverie. "Good to see that you're no longer completely tone-deaf, Evelynn." Evelynn winced, and fought not to show emotion. Despite her care, she could feel a blush creeping up her cheeks.

She took a deep breath. "I was unaware of the fact that we were supposed to warm up in our rooms, Revered Son. I apologize, and it will not happen again." She felt that that was acidic enough without stepping over the line into impropriety. Fiel shot her a glare, and glanced at a packet of notes he had in his hands.

"Now, we are going to have solos in our performance two weeks from now. All those who are interested, please line up. I will have you sing a random passage from some of our music. As to the rest of you, you will all benefit from hearing the constructive criticism that the others are given."

There was a mass exodus to the front of the room, and very few people were left on the risers. After a minute of thought over whether she really wanted the solo or not, Evelynn decided that she had nothing to lose, since she'd have to stand there all afternoon anyway. By the time she got to the line, she was the last, with Teva directly in front of her.

Fiel seemed to play favorites, and gave some of the chorus members exceedingly easy passages, while others had the hardest sections in their repertoire. To his favored members, Fiel gave very little criticism. One of the girls had a harsh voice, especially for an elf. She could put a song across, but it was not pretty. However, Fiel seemed to feel that she had something, because he let her go on with only a slight correction on her rhythm.

Evelynn stood for over an hour, waiting. Finally, it was Teva's turn. Fiel took his music and gave her a particularly easy passage for her to sing. To her credit, Teva did have a lovely voice, and sang the passage quite admirably. She added several flourishes that could be counted in her favor, but to Evelynn's ears, they just made the simple beauty of the song sound garish and overdone.

After what seemed like an eternity, Teva was done. "Well," Fiel smiled at her. "Looks like you've hooked the solo again, my dear." Teva fluttered her eyelashes at him and simpered prettily. "You really do have an exceptional voice."

This had gone on long enough. Evelynn collected herself, and stepped forward a little, coming up next to Teva. "Pardon me, Revered Son Fiel, but I have not gone yet." Evelynn saw Oren standing outside of the door, and she winced at the added audience. _No audience. I'm alone._

"If you feel it necessary to waste your fellows' time, I suppose you may." With a roll of his eyes, he started to leaf through his music. For all of the auditions, he'd been lending out his own music so that the choristers would not have the benefits of any notes they might have written on their copies. Finally, he came to a piece and smiled. "The first solo movement in this one." He handed her the music.

Evelynn looked it over quickly, noting that it was one of the hardest passages she'd learned, going to the top of her range, and fairly low as well. The movements were tricky, and there were several hard-to-hear jumps. Suddenly, it clicked. That was the movement that she'd been practicing all morning! How did that batty mage know? She shook her head, deciding that it must have been freak chance.

She breathed in deeply, feeling her stomach turning in anticipation of an audition. Though never shy to speak her mind in public, or even sing for crowds, Evelynn was always paralyzed by stage fright when it came to auditions. Fiel played the first note for her on the organ, and she started, trying not to think about the elf in front of her, or the crowd behind her.

Soon, she felt the music flowing through her once more, the familiarity of the piece counterbalancing her fear. The intervals that she practiced so diligently flowed out naturally, and the rhythms came flawlessly. Gaining confidence, Evelynn added more power to her voice and allowed it to soar. Finally, she finished the solo with a flourish in the style of the solo. Silence surrounded her. Then, someone in the chorus started to clap, and soon most of the room had joined in. Evelynn flushed with pleasure, and noted that even Oren seemed impressed.

"Wonderful job, my dear. Fiel, I do hope you give her the solo. I believe that is the best rendition of that solo that I've heard in many, many years." Oren rushed over to shake Evelynn's hand.

"Well, Father, she is brand new." Fiel looked distinctly less than pleased at how obvious it was that Evelynn deserved the solo over Teva. "I believe it might be wise to allow her time to get acclimated before thrusting a solo upon her. Besides, this morning, she seemed a bit overcome by stage fright." Evelynn wished that they would stop talking as though she weren't standing right there.

"Nonsense, the only way she can overcome that fear is by facing it. I'm sure she will do beautifully." Evelynn looked up from the floor to thank Oren for his support, and over his shoulder, saw another whitish robe. Fizban was standing in the doorway, grinning. He winked before disappearing. Fiel reluctantly agreed that Evelynn did indeed deserve the solo, but Evelynn barely noticed in her elation over singing so well, and meriting the solo to begin with.

The afternoon passed in a happy blur for Evelynn, and soon it was five o'clock. With a start, she realized that she'd agreed to go on a date with Eramil! She took out a fresh robe, since clerics weren't supposed to wear any other type of clothing. Then, she put a small amount of lip rouge and blush on. Next, she sighed – it was time for her hair. She'd never done her own hair in any fancy style before, since that was one of Ramalad's fortes. Finally, she wrestled it into some semblance of a respectable fashion.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Evelynn walked out of her room and headed quickly to the dining hall. When she arrived at the dining hall, she saw with a wince that Eramil was already there, and was sitting at one of the long tables near the center of the room, surrounded by other clerics. _He must've never read those romance novels that mention privacy as one of the necessities in a date,_ Evelynn thought wryly to herself. She steeled herself, pasted a tranquil smile on her face, got a small plate of food, and walked over to where Eramil was sitting.

"Evelynn! Right on time. Here, take a seat." He got up and pulled a chair out next to her, and helped her sit. Despite her discomfiture, Evelynn smiled genuinely at the show of chivalry. Despite her vehement feminism, she always had a soft spot for displays of chivalry. She sat as gracefully as she was able to, and smiled at the others at the table. Eramil introduced her to his friends, and when he was done, Evelynn couldn't remember one single name.

"So…" Evelynn spoke hesitantly and uncomfortably. "What interests do you have other than singing?" She made a hesitant stab at conversation.

"Well," Eramil seemed to be having a hard time coming up with an answer. "I really apply myself to my music more than anything else. What about you?" He seemed very relieved to pass the spotlight on to someone else.

"Well, I enjoy reading, and archery." Evelynn so no purpose in hiding her less feminine side, because if someone couldn't accept her for her she was, she's always felt that they weren't worth knowing.

"That's … interesting." Evelynn could tell that though he accepted her, Eramil was slightly intimidated, and even more nervous about their social situation. The two spent the rest of the evening juggling uncomfortable silences, and even less comfortable conversations. By the end of the evening, Evelynn had determined that while Eramil was not the most intriguing of characters, he was still a genuinely nice person, and worth knowing. Despite this fact, she couldn't help but think that even that Black Robe would have been better company over dinner.

The next day, solo parts were handed out in the morning. Evelynn was given the smallest of the pieces, but frankly, she didn't care. She knew she'd overcome the first hurdle. She sang better than the morning before, though not as well as she had the previous afternoon. Partly, her problem was from lack of sleep. After her 'date' with Eramil, she had trouble falling asleep, as she had the night before.

Once more, she was tormented with thoughts of good and evil. How could the elves, children of good, do things that seemed so petty and vile? To take other elves prisoner, threatening the lives of their children? To exile a proud young mind whose only crime was to speak out? These questions flew through Evelynn's head, giving her no rest.

For the rest of the week, she was similarly tormented. By Friday, it seemed that only sheer willpower was keeping her awake. She was practically asleep during the morning prayers, even the beautiful room, or the threat of Fiel's fierce glares not sufficient to awaken her. Finally, she knew what she had to do.

After dinner, she went to her rooms, and began to pace. She'd give him another hour. Assuming he was on a regular a schedule as she, he would be finishing about then. Minutes stretched to eons, but finally it was time. Evelynn walked slowly to the mages rooms one more time. She was careful not to be seen, because she had no excuse for being in that part of the temple complex. Somehow, she doubted that the other clerics would understand the truth.

As she walked, she rationalized. If anyone saw her there, what could they do anyway? It wasn't a crime to talk. Besides which, if pressed, she could always say that she'd been inspired to try to bring the mage to the ways of light. Finally, arguments rattling around hollowly in her head, Evelynn was there. She knocked lightly on the door, and suddenly realized she had no idea what she was going to say to him!

**A/N:** Well, I hope you liked this new segment. Please, please review. Remember, constructive criticism is helpful! Also, (save the next two or three weeks, when I'll be busier than ever) a lot of reviews really do help me to write faster, especially with this story.

Guan: Glad you liked. And yes, this may finally lead to the main plot, sticking its head out from hiding!

Jade Limill: Hehe, sorry this took so long. And no worries, you're not on Fie's hit list.

Pet: LOL – now I can only think of that scene in Anime terms too! Look what you did! About her not recognizing Fizban, it's going to get worse before it gets better. Poor Evelynn. She has to go through a lot.


	8. One Shade The More, One Ray The Less

**Disclaimer:** I have not yet raided TSR for the rights, so I don't own anything or anyone you recognize.

**A/N:** Sorry about how long that took! I didn't mean to leave you with such a horrid cliffie! Interesting, how some chapters start one way, and then come out completely different than how they were planned...

**One Shade The More, One Ray The Less**

There was no answer at the mage's door, so Evelynn knocked again, harder this time. More seconds passed, each seeming like an hour to Evelynn, who was beginning to lose her nerve. Finally, she was about to turn away, figuring that he must be somewhere else. She stopped dead in her tracks. She faintly heard the whisper of robes from the other side of the doorway. Evelynn turned back to the door, just as it was opening.

"What?" The mage's voice was sharp. Dark circles ringed his icy eyes – it was obvious that he had not slept much recently. His robe was mussed as if he'd been wearing it for several days strait. He barely glanced at her.

For a moment, Evelynn was frozen. She hadn't actually expected him to come to the door! However, the mage's rudeness startled her back into life. "Is that how you greet all guests?" She arched an eyebrow.

Suddenly, the mage's head shot up from its position facing the floor. "It's you!" Evelynn was surprised and afraid to hear so many emotions in two simple words. He obviously was shocked to see her, and seemed to detest the thought of her presence. However, if Evelynn hadn't known better, she'd almost think that he was glad to see her.

All thoughts of that, however, (whether they echoed a real feeling or an imagined one) were squelched when Evelynn looked at his face, and saw the expression of annoyance and distaste plastered on it. She blinked, trying not to be affected by the fierce glare. Evelynn fought the urge to grab her medallion, but as always, it seemed in tune to her feelings and became a comforting warn spot on her chest. She took a breath and looked up at the mage, matching him glare for glare. "I can't believe you! I come to talk, and maybe even apologize for the other night, and all I get is an "Its you" and a look that could fell a dragon. And now, you're just letting me stand out here ranting at you. Where were you raised? In a dung heap?"

The young mage took a step back, and if Evelynn thought that she saw a spasm of old pain cut across his face. He recovered so quickly that she was sure it was imagined, however. "Come in then if you must, "Revered Daughter." He spat her title like a curse, and motioned her into his suite, closing the door behind himself quickly.

Evelynn watched his face closely, hoping to see some indication of his feelings. For a second, it was carefully blank, but she could practically hear the gears turning in his head as though there was a mountain full of gnomes who called his cranium their home. Suddenly, he faced her fully, a gracious smile on his face. Evelynn couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked when he smiled.

"My deepest apologies, Revered Daughter. That was most uncalled for. I had a bad night last night. Won't you take a seat? I don't entertain guests much, but I do own chairs." Evelynn was seriously disturbed by his sudden change in demeanor.

"Oh, don't disturb yourself for me." Her voice dripped sarcasm as though it were honey. Then, she too made a rapid-fire mood change. "You know," Evelynn's tone became businesslike and direct. "Just because I'm dedicated to the service of Good doesn't mean that I can't appreciate sarcasm, or enjoy sarcastic banter. My name is Evelynn, by the way. I also dislike formalities." She turned to him as she took a seat at the table, not caring if he minded or not.

The mage smirked, and Evelynn sensed that he realized that it would be easier to talk to her if he reverted back to his natural cynicism. Unfortunately, she could not discern for the life of her why he suddenly wanted to talk to her. "As you wish, Evelynn." Now, her name was the meat on the dagger point of his scorn. Evelynn guessed that the scorn was for her race more than anything, but decided to let it pass. "I suppose you're now waiting for me to introduce myself. As you wish, m'lady. I am Fistandantilus, mage of Nuitari." Evelynn did not give Fistandantilus the satisfaction of seeing her flinch from the name of his dark god.

"So, I'm aching with curiosity." The mage's voice took on a more benign, facetious tone, rather than the arrow-sharp sardonicism it had held previously. "Why is a youngclericof Good making a social call to a mage, rumored to be Evil incarnate?" His tone dared her to admit to her own worries about his allegiance.

Evelynn attempted to keep her face impassive. Two could play at that game. "I suppose running into you the other night set me to thinking. I just want to talk. About Good and Evil, you, me, whatever." She winced, realizing how shallow that came out. "I was compelled."

Now, it was Fistandantilus' turn to try to hide his feelings. "Compelled? No, my dear little cleric, I do not care to abandon my god for yours, or his weak-willed offspring. Now, is that all you wanted?" A hint of measured impatience seeped through his tone.

Evelynn looked at him, grimacing at the way he had misunderstood her. "No. I said I came here to talk, and that is what I will do." As she snapped at the mage, she felt the river of her emotions suddenly break down the dam she had erected since Ramalad's banishment. "I'm sick of corrupt power plays, and twittering, airheaded imbeciles who think of nothing more than makeup, their bodies, their love lives, and other peoples' love lives. I'm sick of being the perfect lady every moment of the day. Why should I have to ride sidesaddle when it hurts like the Abyss, and riding astride is more effective? Why are there things I can't read and places I can't go? I love working for good with all of my heart, but I do not see why that and being a 'proper lady' must go hand in hand." Suddenly, Evelynn cut off her tirade, realizing that she had just poured her heart out to a complete stranger, and a thoroughly evil one to boot.

Fistandantilus' face remained impassive as he let her finish her tirade. After waiting a moment to be sure that she was quite done, he sneered at Evelynn's beet red face. "I see. You've come to talk to me because you want to rebel, and what better way to do that than to become friends with an evil mage. I guess you deserve some credit for even having the courage to come here and talk to me. Now, I had just begun to dissect a quite fascinating cadaver. If you don't mind?" He motioned curtly to the door and turned away.

Evelynn's mouth was set in a thin line. She was not going to give up, no matter what it took. "I am not here just to rebel. Some of the things going on in Istar are just not right. The same was true in Silvanesti, but I could avoid them for the most part. Here, I can't avoid them, and neither can you. Honestly, I don't really know why I came here, but does it matter? I'm here, and I know that whatever happened to me to make me come can never change, and there's no going back now. If I'm keeping you from something, I'm sorry." All thoughts of embarrassment had departed, leaving in their place anger. "I noticed that you don't seem to have an apprentice to help with your lab work. Perhaps we could finish this discussion over the corpse?" As an ocassional healer, Evelynn doubted that she would be squeamish about about a body.

Fistandantilus rolled his eyes. Evelynn could tell that he really didn't want her there. "Fine." His voice was filled with resignation. "If you throw up, you, your god, or the both of you had better clean it up. Since this is your choice, you clean up your own mess." He started to walk towards one of the other rooms in his suite.

Evelynn hurriedly stood up and followed. When the mage opened the door in front of him, Evelynn was shocked to see that there appeared to be no lights in the room whatsoever. Fistandantilus crossed the threshold, and Evelynn realized that the 'room' was actually a stairwell leading down to a basement level, presumably to the mage's laboratory. Evelynn followed him cautiously; she couldn't help but remember the horror stories that Ramalad used to tell her about the demons and monsters that inevitably lurked with evil mages.

Evelynn took a hesitant step down, and nearly fell when the stair was taller than she had anticipated. Her hand clutched blindly for the medallion on her chest, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she felt it in her hand. Not wanting to admit that she was afraid, she let go of the medallion and started to prepare to take another step. Suddenly, her medallion emitted a soft, comforting light. She smiled at her god's approval and quickly caught up to Fistandantilus.

The flight of stairs seemed long, but it was not so long that it took the two more than a couple of minutes to reach the second level. The light shed by Evelynn's pendant had saved her from a nasty fall several times. She idly wondered whether the black mage had hoped that she would fall into one of those traps, or if they were just so commonplace to him that he'd honestly forgotten to mention them. If Fistandantilus cared about the light produced by her pendant in any way, he didn't show it when he turned to make sure that she was still behind him.

He led the way through a maze of corridors, some having other hallways leading off, some having closed doors, and some that seemingly led to dead ends. Evelynn could feel the mage dispelling powerfulwards every so often, and then replacing them after she had passed. The two traveled on for what seemed an eternity to Evelynn, and she was sure that Fistandantilus' warren of hallways was nearly as big as the temple complex itself. Abstractly, she wondered what happened to anyone who stumbled down into the passages, since she was sure that there were many other exists, and then pushed that thought out of her mind when she realized what the answer must be.

Finally, they reached a plain wooden door. Fistandantilus chanted a spell, and at once, Evelynn was assaulted by the strength of the guardian spells on the door. She realized that the mage must have hidden them behind another spell so that if any made it all of the way to his door, they would likely not realize that this one was the one to his laboratory. Within seconds, Fistandantilus had taken the other spells off of the door and opened it, motioning the cleric inside.

Evelynn had braced herself for a horrible smell, but there was none. As she let out a relieved breath, she peered around. Much to her shock, the laboratory looked more like an expensive healer's house than anything else. There were shelves and shelves of books on three of the walls. Some looked perfectly normal, such as anatomy books. Others glowed with a light so black that she could only see them because they were even darker than the perpetual night of the room. She couldn't tell what they were, and frankly did not really want to know.

The only wall not covered with books was filled with shelves and cabinets holding all manner of arcane things, from surgical scalpels, to beakers, to heaps of herbs that Evelynn surmised the mage must use for his spells. In the center of the room was a large table that currently held the body, but could as easily be used for study. As she had previously noted, the body did not have a smell, which meant either that it was fresh or that it had been magically preserved. The room smelled of spell components – a mix of herbs, death, and other things not as easily identified. Evelynn found the smell alien, but at the same time welcoming. Without the slight hint of death, it would have smelled like her mother's workroom; a place that Evelynn did not visit often, but still signified home.

Fistandantilus silently padded over to the great table, his swishing robes the only sound in the room. He pulled the cover off of the body, and hurled a ball of magelight to hang directly about the body so that all of it was in sudden relief. Now that there was another light source, the soft light from Evelynn's amulet was extinguished. Hesitantly, Evelynn walked over to the table.

She peered down at the table, and hurriedly recoiled, holding a hand over her mouth in horror. The body on the table was female, and elven. Long dark hair cascaded around the face, flowing down the ratty clothes. Evelynn felt her head spinning, and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She opened her eyes hesitantly, and much to her relief, the room had stopped its frantic spinning. She looked up, and her eyes were met by the cynical gaze of Fistandantilus.

"I did warn you." His voice was mocking, but not completely unkind.

Evelynn took a quavering breath. "Its not the death, or the body." Well, that was perhaps an exaggeration, because, like all elves, Evelynn was rather skittish about death. However, now the fact that it was a corpse was the last thing on her mind. "She looks like my si… someone I used to know. Who…" Evelynn could not force the question out of her mouth.

Fistandantilus seemed to sense that her traitor mouth would not say anything more, and took pity on her. "I suppose I should have let you know she was elven," he conceded. "You likely do not know her, however. She was a Kagonesti scout. I found her yesterday on the outskirts of Istar. The wounds on her body make me think that she had a run-in with goblins or the like. She was dead when I got to her, and I do not pass up any chances for the furtherment of science. She has been under a preservation spell since I found her."

Evelynn let out a relieved sigh, especially after Fistandantilus pulled back the young woman's tattered sleeves to reveal the telltale Kagonesti tattoos that twined around her arm. She ventured closer to the body, now not hesitating to examine the body.Looking atthe body more closely, she realized how little resemblance it bore to Ramalad – in reality, the only similarities were her dark hair and Elven heritage.

"Now, if you will leave me to my studies, whether you help me or just stay out of my way, that would be good." Now that Evelynn wasn't in the middle of a crisis, Fistandantilus had no problems resuming his usual acidic tone.

"Oh, of course. Just tell me what you want to do." Evelynn steeled herself so that she would not shake.

"Just stand out of the way." The mage seemed to be getting exasperated with Evelynn's obvious squeamishness. He pointed at the corner. Fistandantilus then got right to work, once in a while going to the shelf to either take up a tool or put one back. As he got more involved in the work, Evelynn crept forward, venturing to help with the tools. Soon, theyfell into a rhythm, neither speaking. Evelynn watched in fascination as she got a silent anatomy lesson, and Fistandantilus got a perfect lab assistant.

Finally, the mage was finished. He quickly recorded all of his findings in one of the many books on the shelf – a black one, but not one that glowed with Nuitari's unholy light. When he was done, he nodded silently to Evelynn, and she followed him out of the room without protest. "Never. Tell. Anyone. About. This. Complex." After such a long time of silence, Fistandantilus' soft voice made Evelynn jump. Its sibilant menace made a shiver run down her spine. In the time they were working together, Evelynn had almost forgotten that she was a Good cleric and he a mage of the Blackest Order. Now, though, she was reminded uncomfortably of the fact that he would just as happily kill her as look at her.

"Of course. I'm not stupid." Evelynn covered her jolt of fear with sarcasm. "I learned a lot today."

Fistandantilus looked back at her, seeing her face in the soft reflection of the once more lit medallion. "For a cleric, and a Good one at that, you were not a bad lab assistant. I suppose you may come back again if you wish it."

In time that seemed shorter than the time it took to descend to Fistandantilus' fearsome laboratory, they had reached the main level of the temple again. "I will take you up on your word some time. Have a good night." _And may Paladine watch over you, always,_ she added silently. The two parted in uneasy truce.

**A/N:** Well, thank you all (only three of you?) for reading. Please, please review. Puppy eyes I'm not afraid of criticism, though do try to be civil about it. I should mention - Fistandantilus' sudden change of mood and relative tolerancewill be explained at a later point, for those ofyou who may not have figured out my reasoning yet. This chapter was hard to keep exclusively in Evelynn's POV!Oh, good news, guys: I may be entering the stage where I don't loath Tale of Two Worlds for being such a Sue, so be on the lookout for another chapter of that in the not-too-distant future! Now, to answer my wonderful reviewers:

Lazy.Kender: Boy, am I fortunate that I'm still alive! But I really did deserve to be hung (or at least scared) for that cliffhanger. Glad you love my story enough to threaten me for updates!

Pet: Hehe, no one does. And it'll be a good long time before Evelynn figures it out too. Hmm, as of now, Eramil is pretty trustworthy, though a bit shallow. However, sometimes, (as with the whole dissection scene in this chapter!) Fie doesn't deign to tell me important details/events until its almost too late!

Evenstar02: Oops, guess it's been too long since I read the books. Sorry about that, though there still aren't any kender in this. Hope you're still reading!


	9. Had Half Impaired the Nameless Grace

**Disclaimer:** As Fie has not yet succeeded in taking over the world, I do not own Wizards of the Coast, and therefore own nothing and no one you recognize from the original DragonLance series. Also, I must apologize to those of you who were bombarded with update alerts. I started to run out of lines from the poem, so I had to redo all of the chapter titles. Those were the only changes made, aside from this chapter being added. Hey, did anyone notice that on the new character feature, Takhisis and Fistandantilus are not mentioned?

**Had Half Impaired That Nameless Grace**

The next day, Evelynn was awakened by a soft knocking at her door. The visitor waited respectfully for a minute to give Evelynn the chance to throw a robe over her thin nightgown, and was just starting to knock again when she reached the door. As Evelynn walked to the door, she wondered who in the world could be calling on her, earlier than most arose in Istar. For a second, she had an inexplicable hope that it was the mage. All stray, disobedient thoughts were stopped when she opened the door.

Evelynn opened the door to reveal a young human acolyte who she didn't know. "Revered Daughter Evelynn?" The young man bowed respectfully. "The Kingpriest is dying," Evelynn noted the boy's lip quivering slightly as he said this. "He wishes for all of the people of Istar to see him privately."

For a second, Evelynn could only gape in shock. Despite the fact that she knew that the post of Kingpriest had been around since at least a hundred years before she was born, she'd always thought of the person, whoever it was, as an immortal, a permanent fixture. Suddenly, she realized that the boy was waiting for an answer and she was staring at him, mouth open, like a fish out of water.

"Uhh… I'll be with you in a few seconds." Still in shock, she closed the door in the young man's face. Her shock did not, however, impede Evelynn's rapid motions as she discarded her bathrobe and shift in favor of her clerical robes. When she opened the door, the boy was still standing there, and motioned soundlessly for her to follow.

Evelynn trailed the boy to the Kingpriest's chambers in a complete haze. She would not have even realized that she had reached it, had the acolyte not tapped her arm to get her attention and whispered to her that she would be expected inside after the current visitor left.

Blinking her surprise away, Evelynn looked around at the antechamber. Despite the fact that it belonged to the Kingpriest, the room was modestly and tastefully decorated. Abstractly, Evelynn realized that the Kingpriest must be Elven, judging by the style of the hangings and the weave of the rug. As she sat in one of the barely comfortable chairs, Evelynn examined the room more carefully. The room was made to make it appear as though a visitor was in a modest manor home of a fairly wealthy elf. Where windows would be in a real home, tapestries depicting beautiful gardens were hung. As the minutes dragged on, Evelynn passed the time by trying to identify all of the flowers in the weavings. It seemed to Evelynn as though she spent an eternity in the room, waiting, waiting.

Finally, someone emerged from the room. It was an elderly human woman who Evelynn could have sworn worked in the kitchens. However, the expression on the woman's face was one of such serenity and enlightenment that Evelynn was sure she must have mistaken a cleric for the servant that she had been thinking of.

Hesitantly, Evelynn approached the door. She was about to knock when a surprisingly strong voice called out to her. "Come. And close the door if you behind you, if you don't mind." Caught off-balance once again, Evelynn followed the commands numbly. She walked into the main chamber of the Kingpriest's room, and found an elderly elf sitting in a chair.

She quickly crossed the room and knelt in front of the old elf. "Now, none of that, my dear. Come, sit down here and we shall talk, Evelynn."

Evelynn looked up, surprised that he had known her name. She obeyed silently, rising from the floor and sitting down again in the chair he motioned to. Now that she was on eyelevel with the elder, she was able to look at him more closely. The elf was surrounded in a cloud of holy light that on any other would have looked like a parlor trick, but seemed somehow fitting on him. He also had a long beard, something that Evelynn had never heard of existing on a true elf. Abstractly, she thought that maybe the facial hair was making up for the lack of hair on the top of his head, as he was balding.

None of this, however, was anything that would distinguish the man from the crowd, odd though it seemed. What made the old elf exceptional was the expression of complete enlightenment and peace on his face. His face seemed to reassure whomever he was gazing at that the world was alright, and that everything had a time and a purpose. Evelynn felt herself smiling serenely at him, almost against her will.

"You called me, Sire?" She wasn't exactly sure what to call the exalted personage, having never thought that she would actually get to meet him.

He smiled kindly at her, and despite the fact that she was on a level with him, she felt as though he was smiling down fondly, as on a child. "Just Loralon, my dear. I wanted to talk to you, as well with all of my children, because Paladine is preparing to gather me to his holy breast. No, don't look so stricken, child. It is my time, and I am content with how I lived my life. That is the most important thing, you know."

For a second, Loralon got such a distracted, fuddled expression that he forcibly reminded Evelynn of the cryptic Fizban. "To be content with how you live your life, I mean. You do not need to live up to others' standards of what should be to achieve happiness." Evelynn wasn't sure whether he was actually talking to her, or just rambling.

He smiled on her once more. "Do not weep for me, child. I go happily, knowing that peace awaits me on the next plane of existence. My only sorrow is the corruption that even now is growing within the Church. I fear that when I am gone, the corruption will spread even more. You must resist it. Keep true to yourself, and what you believe is right. Your path may lead through darkness, with darkness, but be assured, Paladine is walking with you. Now, I must keep the stream of people going through my room, lest they start growing jealous."

Evelynn saw a glint of laughter in his eyes, and wished that she had had a chance to get to know this kindly old man for longer. "When you run into your new friend, send him my way, if you would. I would enjoy his banter once more before I go. But tell him to come in the servants' door, or by his own methods. What would they think if they saw one of _his_ kind come in through the normal entrance!" Loralon's eyes sparkled once more. "Go now, and never lose hope. Paladine is with you."

On, impulse, as Evelynn stood, she took a step forward and caught the elderly cleric up in a strong embrace. He stiffened for a second, but then his arms relaxed around her, and he stroked her hair softly. Evelynn finally pulled away, reluctantly. Before she left, she turned once more, and saw the love of Paladine shining through Loralon's eyes. Now she understood the holy glimmer that had rested in the servant woman's eyes.

Slowly, Evelynn left the room, glancing back at Loralon only once. The only sadness she felt was a sadness for the world's loss of someone so truly holy. For a while she walked aimlessly, lost in melancholy. Suddenly, Evelynn came up to a dark wall. She had not been paying attention to where she was going, and nearly walked into the wall.

In a flash of inspiration, Evelynn realized that her traitor feet had taken her to Fistandantilus' rooms. She shrugged, deciding that her subconscious was probably just obeying Loralon's wishes. She nodded, pleased with her rationalization. Evelynn quickly stepped up to the door before her mind decided that there was another reason for her odd destination. Knocking briskly, she hurriedly wiped the tears off of her face with the soft sleeve on her robe.

The door was answered quickly, so Evelynn surmised that Fistandantilus must have been in the set of rooms that he was given, not the ones that he had constructed. "Back already?" The mage's amusement did not quite cover his surprise. He gave no discernable sign that he even noted the puffy redness that Evelynn's eyes had become.

"Loralon. He…" Evelynn valiantly fought a losing battle against the hitch in her throat. Distracted, she wondered why she was so attached to a man she had just met, no matter how holy he was. Fistandantilus waited patiently as Evelynn got herself under control. "He wanted to see you, before he… He wanted to see you."

Evelynn searched Fistandantilus' face for some sign of emotion, any emotion, and found none. Somehow, it seemed almost comforting that he was so calm. She managed to keep her tears from spilling down her face once more. She took a deep breath and went on.

"He said to come by magic, or through a servant's door so that you wouldn't be seen by the other clerics. I really think he'd like to see you." Her voice trailed off rather lamely as she stood under the scrutiny of the Black mage.

Surprisingly, Fistandantilus' expression was not mocking, or blank. A look of soft compassion lit his eyes, and he nodded. "I will go immediately. Come back after lunch. You look like you need someone that you can talk to." Evelynn was so surprised that she had no time to protest before Fistandantilus disappeared, magically seeking out the dying Kingpriest.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that afternoon, Evelynn made her way back to Fistandantilus' room, not because she wanted so much to talk, but because she hadn't had a chance to turn down his invitation. She had barely knocked on his door when the mage answered.

"Come in, Evelynn. Make yourself at home. Can I get you anything?" Evelynn could tell by his jumpiness that Fistandantilus was not used to entertaining guests.

"No, its all right." Evelynn mustered her courage to the sticking point. "I just came to say that I don't need to talk. I'm fine." She made her voice sound as strong as possible.

Fistandantilus looked at her sharply. "Of course you do. I had a sister." He rolled his eyes, obviously at the folly of womankind.

"A sis…" Evelynn's voice trailed off as she saw his thawing face suddenly freeze and harden once more at the possible mention of his childhood. Evelynn nearly found herself telling this near-stranger all of her problems, but she then caught herself. "Loralon said that there was corruption growing in the Church. Why couldn't he stop it himself?"

Fistandantilus' face was unreadable. "Why ask me?"

"You've been here a lot longer than I have, and I…" Evelynn decided that she must have been a lot more affected by Loralon's death still than she'd thought. She'd almost admitted that she had no one else to talk to! "I thought you might know." She tried to cover up her disgraceful lapse in judgment. How could she have almost let her guard down around a Black Robe!

"The Kingpriest does not get to choose his successor. Usually, the head clerics of all races of the gods of good confer, and decide upon a good replacement. It is said that long ago, all head clerics and mages, of all orders that is to say, conferred, but the decision has been given only to those of good since I've been alive at least. Anyway, it is that group of people who gets to make the decision. Therefore, if there is any corruption amongst the chosen few, or if they are blind to corruption in the candidates, it is rather easy for that corruption to spread." The mage's voice was as emotionless as ever.

"What would happen if the Kingpriest was corrupt?" Evelynn's eyes were as wide as saucers.

"To you? Likely not much. The Kingpriest would not be elected if he were corrupt enough to cause trouble for Paladine's clerics. To me? Who knows."

Finally, Fistandantilus managed to disconcert Evelynn with his emotionless mien at such an ominous statement. "Oh. Well, I guess I'd best be getting back to my rooms. I think I have choir practice this afternoon." Evelynn knew very well there wasn't going to be any practice that day, but she felt the sudden need to get away from the mage and his terrifyingly cold manners.

**A/N:** Mehe… Cliffie! Well, I do hope you enjoyed! No matter whether you did or not, please review. Because I'm not giving up the next chapter (which is already written!) until I get at least three reviews. Muahhaahhhahhhahhah!


	10. Which Waves in Every Golden Tress

**Disclaimer:** Okay, so this was my "how close can you come to being called a kender" chapter. So, firstly and foremost: any characters you recognize from published DragonLance books are not mine. I do however, own the whole crowning ceremony of the Kingpriest. I'd be happy to let you adapt it, but please ask first. Now, back to what I've taken from other people… What the dragon sings is somewhere between "Shenandoah" and "The River is Wide", but isn't really either one. The humans are singing an English folk tune, not any particular one. The elves sing a fictional choral arrangement of the instrumental piece "October" by Eric Whitacre. The Solamnics play "Gloriosa: A Symphonic Poem for Band," by Yasuhide Itoand the drummer is doing Taiko drumming. I believe that's everything I've stolen for this chapter, so now that I've given away half of it, on with the show! Oh, yes. I nearly forgot - this chapter's title was changed from Lord Byron's original poem, because Evelynn has blonde hair, not black.

**Which Waves in Every Golden Tress**

After the month's deliberation and mourning period for Loralon, the Cleric's Council had come to a decision, and it was time for the new Kingpriest to be crowned. For the whole month, Evelynn had done her best to avoid the mage, and had succeeded for the most part. Now, speculations about the Kingpriest were flying around the complex, unchecked by the clerics' severe rules regarding gossip.

Rumor had it that the Council had chosen a hot-blooded human for the post, but the Elven Choir had a hard time believing that rumor as truth. Even the usually fair-minded Evelynn felt that only elves had the longevity to judge situations evenly and to do anything far-reaching enough to be worthwhile. However, the Kingpriest was supposed to shed his identity at his initiation, so his background was a closely guarded secret which not even the most persistent of the gossips could discern.

Evelynn shook with excitement as she dressed for the ceremony that morning. It was sure to be an amazing spectacle. The choir was performing one of the most beautiful songs Evelynn had ever heard, and it was said that a group of Solamnic knights were coming to perform as well. It was an absolute scandal among the Elven choir, because the Solamnic group was later on the program than they. Since the last group was the one most remembered, the Elves were always last. Despite this unaccounted for affront, Evelynn was still eager for the exhibition.

Evelynn reached the formal chapel which was already packed with spectators awaiting the ceremony and the actual crowning. All of the races that generally were aligned to some extent with good were there. Naturally, there weren't supposed to be kender, but they had of course snuck in. Evelynn hurried to the front, where she descended a set of stairs artfully hidden next to the altar. The Kingpriest-to-be was already sitting to the side, swathed in so much white cloth that it was impossible to discern any of his features.

Evelynn walked down the stairs on one side of the alter where the elves' warm-up room was ensconced. There was as yet no sign of the Solamnics, but there was another soundproof practice room beneath the other side of the room, so that was not surprising. The excitement in Evelynn built as she warmed up with the rest of the group, feeling her voice meld perfectly with those of people she could not stand in any other situation. Finally, they were ready, and they ascended to watch the beginning of the ceremony from the back of the room, where they would not be disturbing the other spectators with their comings and goings.

The beginning of the ceremony was simply a performance by nearly every good race in Krynn, giving their devotions to the gods of good. Only the kender were exempt from this honor since they were not allowed into the chapel to begin with, but of course several managed to sneak in anyway.

The first performer was a dragon in human shape. Despite the fact that she was shaped as a human, she kept the multiple vocal chords of her race. Her song was beautiful and haunting, put on the program first to give the spectators a sense of awe and tranquility. Despite the fact that it was sung in her native tongue, the dragon's lovely vocalizations made the language barrier obsolete. Everyone listening knew of the dragon's joy in life, and her constant striving to be worthy of the gods of good. Despite some of the scorning snickers she heard from a few of her fellow choir members, Evelynn found the dragon's voice to be as beautiful as an elf's, though in a very different manner.

Next was a human group of performers, some singing and some playing instruments. Though the song was definitely heartfelt, it sounded coarse and bawdy compared to the musics of the higher races. Once again, Evelynn wondered why her choir was stuck in the middle of the program when a group of humans was to be last.

The elves were the next group to perform, however, so Evelynn put all thoughts of the Kingpriest aside. Nothing mattered now, save the music. The Elven song was complex, with many intertwining melodies and countermelodies that made all of the parts hard to follow. The song had an achingly beautiful quality about it that spoke of a great longing. Even those who did not know Elvish well enough to follow it in song could hear that the Elves sang of the utopia of the land of the gods of good. It was a beautiful, yet slightly disquieting song.

By the time the elves had reached the back of the room once more, the rumored Solamnics seemed to have materialized on the stage. Evelynn was shocked at how quickly and efficiently they had gotten on stage, especially considering their equipment. Along with many other instruments, there were several circular drums at least as tall as Evelynn was, hung from an odd contraption that Evelynn could not discern the function of. The reason for the elaborate harness was soon made clear as a knight in full plate armor, as all were, climbed into the contraption and bent nearly backwards on each drum. The knights were then all handed two immense mallets that appeared to be made of steel and were fashioned in the shape of a sword.

"They look rather ridiculous like that, don't they?" Evelynn was just able to stop herself from elbowing the person who had put his hand over her mouth and spoken quietly in her ear. The mage seemed to realize that Evelynn had recognized his voice and was not going to scream, and he took his hand away.

"Why are you back here?" Evelynn hissed in Fistandantilus' general direction. It wouldn't do for her to be caught talking with an evil mage, and she hoped that a human's ears could pick up the quietest frequencies of an elf's voice. To her relief, the Solamnics had begun to play, and despite the song's quiet beginning, it was still loud enough to cover her voice.

"They don't like me much up there. The knights especially would not approve." Despite his teasing tone, Evelynn could hear a hint of something more serious in the mage's voice. The young cleric turned slightly, and noticed that the cowl of Fistandantilus' robe was drawn even further down his face then was normal, shrouding his face in complete darkness.

"Why are _they_ last?" Evelynn ventured to speak a little more loudly as the music took a crescendo that brought the harmonies just shy of dissonance. The humans' music intrigued her with its raw power, intensity and energy, as it revolted her for the same reasons.

"Well, I've heard," Fistandantilus' tone made it clear that he'd heard something by magically eavesdropping. "That the new Kingpriest is a lot more militant than Loralon was. They think that he's going to tighten some of the rules and come down hard on those he deems 'evil.' " By the mage's tone, Evelynn could tell he wasn't very worried. "Likely, the knights are just setting the stage for whatever tripe the newly crowned Kingpriest is going to spew once he's been initiated."

"That's not very nice," Evelynn said archly. "And, it's not polite to speak while they're performing!" She turned back so that she was facing the performers once more. Though the piece was completely instrumental, save for a chant in Solamnic at the beginning, it was clear what the music was saying. The piece was depicting a great battle between the gods of good and their followers, and those of evil. With a violent finish, the first movement was over.

A large knight stepped to the forefront, and it took Evelynn a moment to notice the tiny flute held in his gargantuan hands. Had the tone of the flute not been so pure, so beseeching, she might have laughed at the surprising sight. Evelynn was surprised at how much the rest of the piece moved her, despite its warlike origins. The end was a loud climax of conflicting forces that left the side of Good as the clear winner. As she clapped, Evelynn noticed that Fistandantilus' arms were motionless at his sides, perhaps even clenched in anger. She wondered why he was so upset; it was in his personality to be amused, not angered by Good's attempts to assert their dominance over Evil.

Finally, the celebration before the ceremony was over, and the ceremony was going to begin. Clerics of all of the gods of Good stepped forward, and aided the shrouded Kingpriest-to-be to the front of the room. Galacia and Oren, as the leading clerics of Paladine, were to conduct the ceremony while the other head clerics witnessed and the people watched.

"You have been called to the service of Good. You have been commanded to throw away your former name. You have been charged with the mission to do your best by the people of this holy city. Before the people and before the gods, do you acknowledge these demands?"

As Oren fell silent, the man who would become the Kingpriest took off one of the layers of fabric shrouding his body. "I do so hear and acknowledge."

Galacia began to speak. "You have been called to a position of holiness and power. You have been commanded to relinquish all ties to this earth. You have been charged with the mission to sanctify this holy city in the name of all that is righteous and Good. Before the people and before the gods, do you accept these precepts?"

"I do so hear and accept." Another layer was shed.

"You have been called to be the champion of Right. You have been commanded to throw away all petty thoughts and mortal concerns. You have been charged with the mission to lead the people of this holy city along the path of Goodness. Before the people and before the gods, do you acquiesce to these obligations?"

"I do so hear and acquiesce." The figure was finally taking on the shape of a man, rather than a white blob.

"You have been called to become the most exalted mortal in our land. You have been commanded to be just and fair to all. You have been charged with the mission to dispense the justice of the gods upon this holy city. Before the people and before the gods, do you agree to these tasks?"

"I do so hear and agree."

Now, Galacia and Oren joined hands and spoke together. "You have been called to a position of divine humanity. You have been commanded to remember that you are mortal, and as such, be humble. You have been charged with balancing your humanity and your divinity, being a fair overlord of this holy city while not presuming more power than the gods. Before the people and before the gods, do you consent to these regulations?"

"I do so hear and consent."

With those words, the Kingpriest had been crowned, and he threw back his final layer of white cloth. The five layers of swaddling cloth had been hiding a strong human man, now in a simple white cleric's robe. That was all that even Elven eyes could see of the man, however, because almost as soon as he spoke the final affirmation of his vows, the Kingpriest was enveloped in a blinding white light. Evelynn remembered the soft glow that had surrounded Loralon, and she shuddered. She doubted highly that Loralon's aura was softer because he was older. With a feeling of trepidation, Evelynn wondered what the high clerics had unleashed upon Istar as she watched the Kingpriest address his people.

"People of Krynn! A new Age has dawned. No longer will Evil be tolerated in our blessed city. In the past, we believed that Evil must be appeased by being allowed to exist on this plane. Now, we realize that Evil should not be tolerated, and it _shall not_, to **any** extent. A new Age is upon us, an Age of content and prosperity. An Age in which Good will reign!"

Evelynn had to admit; the man was a good public speaker. She seemed to be one of the only ones not completely captivated by the man's stirring speech. She turned slightly, and saw that Fistandantilus was the only other being in the room who was not clapping furiously. Though she hated to agree with anyone whose alliance was so completely opposing hers, Evelynn had to admit that the Kingpriest's speech sounded rather boastful and foolhardy. When Evelynn noticed the Evil mage's ice-cold eyes, she became even more nervous.

**A/N:** Okay, people. I think its rather pitiful that I had to beg my wonderful beta Valgoruth for the third review. Speaking of, shout-out to Val, and thanks for the awesome beta-work in this chapter and the last one. Anyway, please, please review! Thank you to the _two_ of you who did! Of course, if reviewing is too much trouble, you don't have to and I'll just die of sorrow and neglect over here and you'll never see how it ends… Seriously, it's not that hard. Just press the button and write something with a semblance of intelligence!

Oh, yeah - I also created a blog! Go check it out, it's about science. It's entered as my homepage. 


End file.
